Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Mass. Eye and Ear (MEE) in Boston, Massachusetts

Job Description:

POSITION SUMMARY:



Under the direction of the Director of Pharmacy performs targeted clinical duties necessary to provide safe and effective pharmaceutical care for both inpatient and outpatient populations. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist provides all aspects of pharmaceutical care to patients through the provision of drug distribution and drug information services. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist provides training and clinical mentorship of pharmacists and students. Responsible for the start-up, maintenance, and close-out of all investigational pharmacy protocols. Analyzes medication utilization at the institution, including expense, reimbursement, and adherence with established clinical use criteria in collaboration with the Finance and Patient Accounts departments. Collaborates with Risk Management and Quality & Patient Safety to identify and trend medication errors and implement mitigation strategies.



ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Enhances quality delivery of care.

Assists the Pharmacy Operation Manager / Administrative Pharmacy Specalist and Director of Pharmacy with all tasks and projects as deemed necessary.

Accepts accountability for follow-up and resolution of issues.

Serves as a liaison between patient care areas and pharmacy staff.

Promotes the use of the MEE formulary by developing automatic therapeutic substitutions and converting other non-formulary medications to formulary alternatives when possible.

Develops and updates Medication Administration Guidelines (MAGs) to direct the appropriate use of medications at MEE.

Develops and updates IV Dilution Guidelines for the appropriate preparation and use of IV medications.

Develops and updates pediatric reference materials to guide the appropriate dosing and use of medications in the pediatric population.

Maintains and updates the Adult Code Cart Emergency Medication Dosing Guidelines in accordance with the current national guidelines.

Develops and updates compounding formulation records to guide the compounding of sterile and nonsterile preparations.

Monitors process and quality indicators such as medication overrides, antibiotic prophylaxis stop date tracking, medication barcode scanning compliance, and order turnaround time; intervenes as necessary to improve practice in these areas.

Serves as the Coordinator for the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee by preparing the agenda for quarterly meetings, developing formulary addition request documentation, and conducting annual formulary and medication safety reviews.

Represents the Pharmacy Department on committees such as the Patient Care Quality Task Force, Joint Commission Task Force, and others as needed.

Maintains and updates smart pump medication libraries

Manages investigational medication studies utilizing pharmacy services.

a. Oversees investigational medication preparation, dosing, and documentation for all studies involving investigational medications.


b. Develops overall general policy and procedure for handling of all investigational medication studies.


c. Develops specific dispensing instructions and study overview information for each individual investigational medication study.


d. Develops study-specific drug accountability logs, study order forms/prescription documents, and study medication labels as needed.


e. Works with principal investigators, study coordinators, and study monitors to ensure appropriate study procedures and compliance are followed.


f. Prepares and manages Pharmacy budgets for investigational medication studies, including levying charges to study cost centers on a quarterly basis.

Provides clinical informatics support to pharmacy, nursing, and physicians.

Requests builds, tests, and maintenance of the clinical aspects of EHR.

Educates and supports pharmacy staff in the use of the EHR.

Identifies clinical issues with the EHR products and manages service orders to resolve issues as necessary.

Represents the Pharmacy Department on Institutional and Enterprise EHR related committees

Provides pharmaceutical care to patients as required.

Participates in daily multidisciplinary patient care rounds for the ENT Head and Neck service.

Monitors drug therapy to evaluate appropriateness of use, dose, dosage form, regimen, route, therapeutic duplications, and drug interactions.

Discusses medication order clarifications with the prescriber.

Provides comprehensive and timely responses to requests for drug information.

Documents and reports adverse drug reactions and medication errors.

Participates in drug therapy management of medical emergencies (STAT calls and Code Blue emergencies)

Verifies medication orders in a timely fashion as necessary.

Provides pharmaceutical education to health care professionals and students.

Presents in-services / lectures to health care professionals as requested.

Presents lectures to the community as requested.

Serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice with a local Colleges of Pharmacy by precepting pharmacy students on Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

6. Financial Management


a. Identifies and implements pharmacy cost savings initiatives


b. Trends utilization of high-cost medications use at the institution. Enhances transparency between pharmacy expense and reimbursement revenue.


c. Monitors patient level medication use and reimbursement. Identifies gaps in reimbursement, determines cause and implements mitigation strategies (e.g., formulary alternatives, insurance appeals, patient assistance programs)


d. Preparation of high-level reimbursement reports for distribution to hospital leadership and providers


e. Provides direct pharmacy support to patients receiving specialty medications


f. Implements and monitors MGB based cost savings initiatives


g. Assists in forecasting pharmaceuticals budget


h. Forecasts pharmacy cost drivers, including gene therapy, biological infusions, and macular injections.


i. Optimizes automated dispensing cabinet inventory settings to reduce expired medication waste and enhance medication availability to frontline staff


7. Quality Assurance


a. Monitors the literature for new medication safety warnings; reviews and analyzes the institution's medication error reporting data.


b. Collaborates with Risk Management and Quality & Patient Safety to develop and implement policies and procedures designed to improve medication management while assuring compliance with regulatory and quality related standards and regulations


c. Coordinates and tracks departmental Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Plan


d. Implements ISMP and ASHP best practices related to medication error prevention

Engages in professional self-development.

Attends weekly Ophthalmology Grand Rounds.

Completes required continuing education credits annually.

Attends professional meeting

Attends classes, conferences, or other meetings to enhance professional knowledge.

Attains / maintains professional certifications (ex. BCPS (Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist))

9. Promotes Professional Behavior and Development


a. Assists in training and orientation of new employees and students.


b. Provides outstanding customer service to patients and employees.


c. Demonstrates empathy and kindness to fellow coworkers and internal and external customers


d. Effectively troubleshoots problems (including systems downtime) and implements short-term solutions as required based on professional judgment.

Performs all job functions of a Clinical Pharmacist II as listed on the most current job description as required.

Clinical Performance:


1. Responds to drug information and poison information requests and completes appropriate documentation as required.


2. Documents all clinical interventions in the Electronic Health Record (EHR).


3. Maintains up to date knowledge of sterile and non-sterile compounding as detailed in relevant USP Chapters and state and federal regulations.


4. Maintains detailed and updated knowledge, including therapeutic treatment options, for commonly encountered ophthalmic and ENT related diseases states


5. Interacts with patients to assess medical and medication history.


6. Provides clinically appropriate patient counseling.


7. Effectively communicates with medical and nursing staff when addressing patient care needs.


8. Coordinates at least one planned presentation for nursing/medical/pharmacy staff per year.


9. Directly supervises and precepts advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students


10. Effectively communicates with medical and nursing staff when addressing patient care needs.



Qualifications

Organizational Requirements:

Communicates appropriately using good interpersonal skills.

Serves, manages, and supports internal and external customers.

Participates in performance improvement activities.

Participates as a team member and is accountable for own work responsibilities.

Performance improvement:


1. Assists the Director of Pharmacy or designee to develop and implement quality assurance measures.


2. Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to service the needs of patients requiring pharmaceuticals.


3. Oversees and contributes to the expansion of investigational pharmacy services



Regulatory Compliance



1. Complies with all State and Federal rules, regulations and laws which govern the practice of pharmacy.


2. Maintains Massachusetts pharmacist registration in good standing


3. Completes annual MEE/MGB regulatory compliance training


4. Awareness and application of Joint Commission Medication Management standards



EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:


1. Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) plus 5 years of hospital experience or post-graduate residency (preferred)


2. Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy (Preferred)


3. Current Massachusetts Pharmacist Registration



WORKING CONDITIONS:



1. Works within the Pharmacy Department primarily but will routinely visit patient care and surgical areas


2. May be exposed to infectious diseases, carcinogenic, hazardous, and sensitizing medications and chemicals


3. Works under constant time constraints and deadlines.



PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:


1. Standing or walking 70% of the time. Lifting and carrying heavy supplies about 5% of job duties.


2. May be required to lift approximately 35 lbs



EEO Statement

Massachusetts Eye and Ear is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment or discrimination. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, age, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, sex, pregnancy or conditions related to pregnancy, national origin/ancestry, citizenship, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. These protections extend to all management practices and decisions, including recruitment and hiring practices, appraisal systems, promotions, training, and career development programs. Apply Now