Optimizing pharmacy data operations: How EXL delivered a modern data platform for one of the world’s largest private brokerages
Executive summary
One of the world's largest private insurance brokerages, specializing in pharmacy benefits, faced significant operational hurdles due to an outdated and disjointed data infrastructure. This legacy system led to inconsistent data quality, stability issues, and an inability to adapt to changing business needs.
By partnering with EXL, the client underwent a comprehensive data modernization initiative. EXL implemented a consultative, domain-led solution leveraging its HITRUST-certified EXLVantage™ analytics platform and the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. This transformation resulted in a 10x improvement in data latency, an 80% reduction in manual effort, and a 70% decrease in infrastructure costs, establishing a scalable and secure foundation for future growth.
Challenge: Overcoming an inflexible and outdated data environment
The client relied on precise and timely data to manage pharmacy benefits and contracts for over 800 of their own clients. However, their existing technology stack was a major impediment to operational efficiency and strategic agility.
The client’s aging infrastructure created critical challenges, including frequent system instability and poor performance, which disrupted operations and decision-making. Without a unified analytics platform, data was scattered across multiple systems, resulting in inconsistent quality and no single source of truth. The rigid contract rules further compounded inefficiencies, requiring extensive manual effort to manage and adapt. Additionally, the system’s lack of scalability severely limited the company’s ability to handle the increasing volume of pharmacy claims and client data, restricting growth and responsiveness to market demands.
Previous attempts at modernization had failed, highlighting difficulties in managing large-scale technological transitions. These challenges created data processing delays, increased operational costs, and limited the brokerage's ability to respond to market demands and client needs.
Solution: A unified and scalable data platform powered by EXL
EXL leveraged its healthcare domain knowledge and data expertise to design a consultative solution centered on EXLVantage™, EXL’s end-to-end platform, together with the scalability of Databricks Data Intelligence Platform.
This integrated approach combined EXLVantage’s modular solutions and managed services with Databricks’ robust processing. EXLVantage enabled semantic interoperability, unifying data from diverse sources, while Databricks acted as the core Extract, Load, and Transform (ELT) engine for efficient, scalable data handling. The result was streamlined technology stacks, greater efficiency, and reduced infrastructure overhead.
The platform features automated ingestion and analytics workflows that scale to process data for over 800 clients monthly. Its user-friendly UI lets users manage contract rules without technical help, and advanced security—including row-level security and HITRUST controls—protects sensitive information.
This provided a stable, scalable, and cost-effective solution tailored to the client’s needs in pharmacy benefits management.
Results: Driving transformative gains in speed, efficiency, and flexibility
The partnership between the client and EXL delivered significant, measurable improvements across the board, transforming their data operations from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage.
- 10x Improvement in Data Latency: Data refresh times were drastically reduced, enabling near real-time data availability after receipt and empowering faster, more informed decision-making.
- 80% Reduction in Manual Efforts: The new self-service UI for contract rules eliminated cumbersome manual processes, freeing up valuable resources to focus on higher-value activities.
- 70% Reduction in Infrastructure Costs: Leveraging EXLVantage and optimizing the tech stack with Databricks led to a dramatic decrease in infrastructure expenses.
- Massive Scalability Achieved: The platform effortlessly processes data for more than 800 clients on a monthly basis, with automated workflows that can handle continued growth.
Conclusion: A future-ready foundation for data-driven decisions
By transitioning from a rigid, outdated system to the modern, flexible EXLVantage™ platform powered by Databricks, the brokerage has fundamentally transformed its pharmacy reporting and contract management capabilities. The collaboration with EXL not only solved immediate technological and operational challenges but also established a scalable and secure foundation for sustained growth.
Improving the data foundation has helped enable and support advanced analytics and future GenAI applications across the enterprise. This strategic investment in data modernization empowers the client to operate with greater efficiency, deliver enhanced value to its customers, and solidify its position as a leader in the pharmacy benefits industry.