October 21, 2025
Chronic loneliness is sabotaging chronic care. In this HIT Consultant byline, Pleio CEO Michael Oleksiw explains why digital tools alone can’t fix adherence—and why human connection must lead.
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Chronic loneliness is sabotaging chronic care. In this HIT Consultant byline, Pleio CEO Michael Oleksiw explains why digital tools alone can’t fix adherence—and why human connection must lead.

Administrative hurdles and emotional isolation are driving therapy abandonment and worsening outcomes—Megan Wetzel of CoverMyMeds and Jen Butler of Pleio say the solution lies in combining streamlined access with stronger human connection.

Healthcare, like baseball, is ultimately a human experience. No matter how advanced the tools, patients still want to feel something real: that someone sees them, hears them, and cares. Pleio CEO Michael Oleksiw writes that the future of healthcare isn’t about replacing people with technology, but blending the two to deliver precision and compassion.

Specialty pharmacies are turning to AI to improve medication adherence. AI tools like OLLIE help to analyze patient conversations for emotional and behavioral cues, helping providers address why patients skip prescriptions and strengthening support for chronic care management.

In this Pharmacy Times byline, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Pleio Mark Gregory, RPh and Director of Specialty Pharmacy at Gentry Health Services, Katie Warmuth, PharmD, CSP explore how a human-first support model led to improved adherence and outcomes in specialty pharmacy. As automation rises, their insights show why empathy remains essential for patient success.

Jennifer Butler, Chief Commercial Officer, Pleio, and Rimesh Patel, RPh, MBA, Chief Operating Officer, Gentry Health, discuss a new collaboration between Pleio and Gentry Health Services. This collaboration leverages peer-to-patient support to address emotional barriers in the specialty medication journey, boosting adherence, improving patient experience, and delivering measurable results.

“OLLIE gives pharmaceutical companies a more honest view of the emotional and behavioral realities that shape adherence, grounded not in assumptions but in patients’ own words.” – Michael Oleksiw, Chief Executive Officer at Pleio

Drug Store News features Pleio’s report revealing loneliness as a major barrier in chronic care. With 74% of patients reporting that loneliness negatively affects their physical health, the study highlights the need for peer support to improve outcomes and patient engagement.

Medication non-adherence costs the U.S. $500B annually. Pleio’s new AI, OLLIE, identifies emotional barriers through patient conversation analysis, empowering human supporters to intervene with empathy and improve outcomes.

Jen Butler, chief commercial officer at Pleio, and Mark Gregory, chief pharmacy officer at Pleio, sat down for an interview with Pharmacy Times at Asembia’s AXS25 Summit. They discussed the critical role of emotional support in specialty pharmacy. Drawing on insights from a recent report, Butler and Gregory highlighted the importance of addressing patient barriers in improving medication adherence.
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