OvaryIt's NIH-Funded EHR Lands at the Pharmacist's Desk for Contraceptive Care

In women’s health, the most significant barriers to care are often not clinical but logistical: cost, convenience, and the simple availability of a qualified prescriber. OvaryIt, a telemedicine and research startup, is attempting to address all three by focusing on a single, regulated point of access. Its strategy hinges not just on connecting patients to doctors online, but on empowering a different healthcare professional entirely,the community pharmacist.

Founded in 2020 by Mary Kucek and Dr. Devin Bustin, OvaryIt began as a direct-to-consumer telehealth platform for contraceptive care, with appointments advertised from $15 [Clinic-Software]. Its core offering remains a proprietary screening and telehealth consultation for hormonal and non-hormonal birth control. Yet the company’s trajectory, and its most substantial non-dilutive funding, is now tied to a more systemic bet. With over $1.5 million in National Institutes of Health grant support, OvaryIt has developed and is commercializing PRISM, an electronic health record system built specifically for pharmacists [lancasteronline.com]. In states where pharmacists have prescribing authority for contraception, this tool aims to turn local pharmacies into primary access points, bridging a gap left by physician shortages and clinic deserts.

The pharmacist as a care wedge

The company’s pivot from a pure DTC play to a B2B2C enablement tool is a direct response to shifting state regulations. As of late 2023, more than two dozen states allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception, a policy change aimed squarely at improving access [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. OvaryIt’s PRISM platform is designed to operationalize that authority. It integrates patient screening, clinical decision support, and documentation into a single, Surescripts-certified workflow [getprismrx.com]. For a pharmacist, it replaces a patchwork of paper forms and disparate systems; for a patient, it means walking into a familiar neighborhood pharmacy and walking out with a prescription, all within the same visit.

This focus gives OvaryIt a distinct wedge in a crowded telecontraception market. While competitors like Nurx, Twentyeight Health, and The Pill Club compete on convenience and direct delivery, OvaryIt is layering a physical, local component onto its digital foundation. The model acknowledges that for many patients, especially in rural or underserved areas, a trusted local pharmacist may be the most accessible,and least stigmatizing,source of care.

Building on non-dilutive capital

OvaryIt’s financial runway is notable for its source, not just its size. The company has eschewed traditional venture rounds in favor of government grants, a patient capital strategy that aligns with the longer development cycles of regulated health tools. The public record shows two significant NIH awards:

• $214,719 from an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant [Central Penn Business Journal, October 2022].
• $1,341,329 for the “development and commercialization of support tools to promote safety and adoption of pharmacist prescribed contraceptive services” [lancasteronline.com].

This grant-based approach, totaling over $1.5 million, allows the founders to refine their technology and research without the immediate growth pressure of equity investors. It also serves as a form of technical validation, suggesting the NIH sees merit in both the public health need and OvaryIt’s proposed solution.

The team behind the tools

The co-founding team brings complementary, if unconventional, backgrounds to the challenge. Mary Kucek, the CEO, holds project management certifications (PMP, ITIL) and leads the company’s research and educational content [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026]. Her co-founder, Dr. Devin Bustin, serves as Chief Medical Officer while maintaining his practice as an emergency medicine physician and informatics director [LinkedIn]. Their advisory board includes credentialed experts like Dr. Janene H. Fuerch, a Stanford neonatologist and co-founder of the contraceptive company EMME [PRNewswire, August 2021]. This blend of operational, clinical, and strategic guidance is critical for navigating the dual domains of software development and healthcare regulation.

Navigating a competitive landscape

OvaryIt’s path is not without its hurdles. The market for contraceptive telehealth is both crowded and increasingly consolidated, with larger players boasting deeper marketing pockets and established national delivery networks. Furthermore, the pharmacist-prescribing model is not yet universal, limiting the immediate addressable market for PRISM.

The company’s most credible answer to these pressures is its focus on infrastructure rather than just patient acquisition. By selling the picks and shovels,the EHR platform,to pharmacies and health systems, OvaryIt can build a B2B revenue stream that is less sensitive to the consumer marketing wars. Its NIH funding specifically targets the “commercialization” of these tools, indicating a clear intent to move from research to revenue [lancasteronline.com]. Success will depend on its ability to sign pharmacy chains or large retail health providers as pilot partners, a milestone not yet visible in the public record.

The patient population in focus

Ultimately, OvaryIt’s mission is aimed at a specific and often overlooked demographic: women seeking affordable, convenient, and dignified contraceptive care, particularly those in regions with limited clinic access or those who face systemic barriers to traditional gynecology. This includes students, low-income individuals, and people in contraceptive deserts where the nearest family planning clinic might be hours away.

The standard of care today for this population is a fragmented experience. It often involves scheduling a physician appointment weeks out, taking time off work, navigating insurance or high out-of-pocket costs, and then traveling to a separate pharmacy to fill a prescription. For those who qualify, mail-order services streamline the process but remove the option for immediate, in-person consultation. OvaryIt’s pharmacist-centered model proposes a middle path,local, immediate, and professionally guided, potentially lowering the activation energy required for effective family planning.

Looking ahead, the next twelve months will be a critical proof-of-concept phase for OvaryIt. Key milestones to watch will be the announcement of pharmacy partners piloting the PRISM EHR, any data on patient volumes processed through the platform, and whether the company seeks its first institutional venture round to accelerate commercialization. If the model gains traction in a few key states, it could redefine not just how contraceptives are prescribed, but where the front line of women’s preventive health truly resides.

Sources

1. [Central Penn Business Journal, October 2022] OvaryIt receives NIH SBIR grant | https://www.centralpennbusinessjournal.com
2. [Clinic-Software, Unknown] OvaryIt startup profile | https://clinic-software.com
3. [lancasteronline.com, Unknown] OvaryIt receives $1.3M NIH grant | https://www.lancasteronline.com
4. [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, Unknown] OvaryIt company brief
5. [getprismrx.com, retrieved 2026] PRISM EHR platform details | https://www.getprismrx.com
6. [LinkedIn, retrieved 2026] Mary Kucek profile | https://www.linkedin.com
7. [LinkedIn, retrieved 2024] Dr. Devin Bustin profile | https://www.linkedin.com
8. [PRNewswire, August 2021] OvaryIt advisory board announcement | https://www.prnewswire.com
9. [PRNewswire, December 2020] OvaryIt launches telehealth platform | https://www.prnewswire.com