LEAD PHARMACIST - SPECIALTY PHARMACY

General Purpose of Job:  

Responsible for the operation and quality assurance of the services provided through the specialty pharmacy. Ensures the correct medications are dispensed to the correct patients in the most efficient and safe manner. Medication compliance monitoring, chronic disease state management, patient consultation, and provider communications are a part of daily tasks. A Lead Pharmacist is defined as a pharmacist that is regularly assigned to a specific pharmacy area or practice, and serves as the point of contact, drives performance improvement, ensures regulatory compliance, and is responsible for the following duties, as appropriate, for the pharmacy practice area.

Essential Duties:

This job description is intended to cover the minimum essential duties assigned on a regular basis.  Caregivers may be asked to perform additional duties as assigned by their leader. Leadership has the right to alter or modify the duties of the position.

• Dispense medications to patients in compliance with prescriptions.
• Educate specialty pharmacy patients regarding safe use and storage of prescription medications, relevant health factors, and respond to inquiries.
• Perform individualized comprehensive medication reviews and assessments for specialty pharmacy patients.
• Provide follow-up adherence and medication education services to specialty pharmacy patients.
• Supervise and responsible for work performed by Specialty Pharmacy Technicians on a daily basis.
• Provide drug information services.
• Answering inbound and conducting outbound calls
• Review and assess medication orders to identify, prevent and resolve potential and actual drug related problems.
• Regularly interface with individual medical services and improve the quality of pharmacy services to those patients.
• Build one-on-one relationships with patients.
• Assist with the tracking of Specialty Pharmacy outcomes and performance on quality and financial measures.
• Assist with miscellaneous clinical and operational aspects of specialty pharmacy services to ensure patients have reliable and timely access to their specialty medications.
• Contributes to implementation of new disease state therapy initiatives and helps the Service Lead prepare documentation necessary for investment approvals.
• Compounding and supervising the compounding of Non-sterile medications up to and including Moderate Compounding as defined by USP<795> and Sterile medications up to and including Medium Risk as defined by USP <797> .
• Handle, dispense, verify, and manipulate hazardous medications as defined by USP<800> to meet patient care needs.
• Compounding caregivers adhere to the prescription or medical order for the strength, quality and purity of compounding preparations.  Compounded products are packaged, labeled and dispensed according to current laws and regulations.

Lead Pharmacist Essential Duties

•           Maintaining regulatory compliance auditing

•           Ensure adherence to department and health institution policies

•           Process improvement initiatives – growth, safety, financial, or efficiency

•           Working with Pharmacy Leadership on initiative implementation strategies

•           Communicate department updates to practice area team members

•           Developing pharmacy practice area workflow

•           Maintaining practice area workflow – IT tickets

•           Team member orientation and training

•           Participation in multidisciplinary committees (when appropriate)

•           Act as Senior Clinical Staff person for the specialty pharmacy

•           Process Improvement reviews with Pharmacy Leadership

Required Responsibilities of the Caregiver:

• Demonstrates knowledge and maintains and respects patient right to privacy by following the HIPAA Privacy and Security policies and procedures.
• Adheres to University of Michigan Health values and standards of behavior (Caring, Innovation, Inclusion, Integrity, and Teamwork).
• Role model behaviors that value the diversity of our caregivers, patients and customers and supports creating an environment that is inclusive, welcoming and respectful.
• Communicates with patients, families and customers using AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank).
• Works in a safe manner and promptly reports any hazards identified in the work environment or related to assigned responsibilities.
• Adheres to policies and procedures designed to avoid, prevent and reduce the spread of communicable diseases.