Specialty Pharmacist

Job Summary

Provides pharmacy services, including specialty medication dispensing, patient counseling, drug interaction screening, clinical monitoring, care coordination, inventory management, and controlled substance regulation. Plans, organizes, controls, and supervises activities in the specialty pharmacy according to policies, standards of practice of the profession, accreditation standards, and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Participates in activities supporting specialty pharmacy accreditation and ongoing compliance with applicable accreditation standards. Responsible for providing direct supervision of supportive personnel. Actively participates in the creation of an environment that fosters patient, family, provider, and staff satisfaction. Ensures decisions made are based on the mission and values of Insight.

Duties

• Maintains strict control and accountability over medications by ensuring all prescriptions are accurately filled and properly labeled.
• Ensures compliance with health system policies, procedures, accreditation standards, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Monitors all new medication orders against the patient’s medication profile for contraindications, drug–drug interactions, allergies, and appropriateness of drug, dose, route, frequency, and therapeutic duplications. Resolves identified problems with the prescriber.
• Performs comprehensive medication review and assessment for specialty pharmacy patients as appropriate.
• Provides patient education and counseling regarding specialty medications, disease states, medication administration, adherence, storage requirements, adverse effects, and monitoring.
• Monitors patient outcomes, adherence, tolerance, and response to therapy and communicates recommendations to prescribers and other members of the healthcare team as appropriate.
• Collaborates with providers, clinic staff, payers, manufacturers, and other healthcare professionals to facilitate timely access to specialty medications and continuity of care.
• Assists with medication access activities, including prior authorization support, appeals, financial assistance programs, and manufacturer assistance programs as appropriate.
• Documents clinical activities, patient assessments, interventions, and follow-up activities accurately and completely in accordance with department policies and accreditation requirements.
• Answers drug information questions accurately using available drug information resources.
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives, data collection activities, patient management programs, and performance measures related to specialty pharmacy services.
• Supports specialty pharmacy accreditation activities and ongoing compliance with applicable accreditation standards and organizational policies.
• Supports the department in providing a vision for its direction and embraces the change process to achieve the vision.
• Coaches and facilitates the growth and development of employees within the department.
• Directs daily operations to achieve goals for the department. Develops an environment for success through team participation.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy or Pharm.D. degree
• Skills: Strong communication, patient counseling, and clinical assessment skills
• Years of Experience: N/A
• Licenses: Must be a registered pharmacist, licensed in the state of practice or license eligible
• Certifications: BLS – Basic Life Support, CSP (Certified Specialty Pharmacist)

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: N/A
• Skills: N/A
• Years of Experience: 1 year of specialty pharmacy, ambulatory care, outpatient pharmacy, or related experience preferred
• Licenses: N/A
• Certifications: N/A

Working Conditions

• Personal Protective Equipment: Will wear appropriate PPE when compounding nonsterile and hazardous products.
• Physical Demands: Must be able to lift light materials. Non-material handling of continuous sitting and reaching, standing, squatting, kneeling, walking, and stairs. Frequent manual manipulations may affect hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Must be able to move about and between workstations.