Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Join our Shields team today! Shields Health Solutions is redefining patient care through health-system integrated specialty pharmacy. We’re hiring an Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy Specialist who will provide integrated support to patients and physicians through a "hands-on" approach to improve the quality of patient care. This is accomplished by developing personalized relationships with patients and prescribers of assigned clinics to improve medication adherence and promote evidence-based care, with expansion into Gastroenterology (GI) disease states. 

The Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacist (ACP) will help advance quality pharmacotherapy care by actively assuring the provision of safe, efficacious, and cost-effective drug therapy for GI populations. The ACP collaborates closely with the team onsite to maximize full suite of clinical services within supported clinics. The pharmacist performs assessments on disease state management and drug therapy education stratified based on medication risk level and approved clinic protocol. ACP role will focus to identify, resolve, and prevent medication-related problems. Additional services will also be offered to overcome identified barriers to medication compliance, injection training and any other obstacle related to adherence. 

 Location: Onsite in Kalamazoo, MI

Specialty Area: Gastroenterology (GI)

SUMMARY: 

• Provide medication therapy management for individuals with GI disease states, including medication reconciliation, dose optimization, and medication adherence counseling. 

• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary care team to develop individualized care plans that align with evidence-based guidelines and best practices for GI management. 

• Monitor and evaluate medication regimens to ensure clinical criteria are met, including therapeutic goals, adverse effects, and drug interactions. 

• Identify opportunities for drug therapy optimization and provide recommendations for medication cost savings initiatives when applicable. 

• Evaluate and monitor the appropriateness of infusion and injectable specialty therapies for gastrointestinal disorders, including biologic and advanced therapies used in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related disease states. Assess treatment response, adherence, safety, laboratory monitoring, site-of-care considerations, and opportunities for therapy optimization in collaboration with the gastroenterology care team. 

• Participate in quality improvement initiatives by actively participating in clinical outcome studies, REMS compliance/reporting, and ACP-related process improvement projects. 

• Optimize resources and workflows with supporting roles handling complex prior authorizations/appeals by providing clinical justification for medication approval, including supporting literature and rationale. 

• Collaborate with healthcare providers, including assigned clinic physicians, specialists, and onsite clinic pharmacists, to ensure seamless medication management and coordination of care. 

• Support occasional peer-to-peer requests upon demand. 

• Perform clinical assessments/educational counseling at drug-level for all patients within high priority clinics on qualified on a targeted medication(s) 

• Ensure all clinical criteria are in clinical compliance with guidance from FDA, clinical guidelines, and appropriate evidence-based literature. 

• Assist with workflow optimization initiatives, including identifying areas for improvement and implementing strategies to enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality of care. 

• Collaborate with other departments and stakeholders to identify operational changes and recommend strategies that enhance productivity, quality, and standards of excellence. 

• Advocate for and promote patient safety and medication literacy through patient education and counseling. 

• Protects the organization's value by keeping information confidential. 

• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations to promote new line of services. 

• Attend and participate in team meetings, conferences, and other professional development activities to stay abreast of current clinical practices and emerging trends. 

• Stay updated with the latest advancements in GI and incorporate them into clinical practice. 

• Willing to do whatever is necessary for the betterment of the company. 

• Other duties as assigned by Manager of Clinical Services. 

Experience/ Education: 

• Required Licensure/Certification: Applicant must hold a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and be a licensed pharmacist in MI. 

• Years of Experience: Required 3+ years' experience as a clinical pharmacist. Completion of PGY1/PGY2 residency is preferred. Experience in specialty pharmacy required; prior experience in GI strongly preferred. Should additional licensure need to be obtained, the applicant will commit to obtaining the required licensure within a mutually agreed upon timeframe. Continued employment is contingent upon meeting these requirements.   

• Skills: Strong clinical knowledge and validated expertise with a focus on GI care and other disease states. Ability or willingness to serve as a subject matter expert in GI among pharmacy peers and hospital or health system partners. Must have the ability to identify barriers to medication adherence and implement and monitor plans to improve medication adherence. The ability to motivate and coach patients to help them achieve better outcomes and identify goals of therapy. Ability to analyze information, exercise good judgment, possess strong verbal communication skills, have deep knowledge of pharmacology developments, and FDA health regulations. Ability to manage processes, exhibit strong technical and clinical skills, maintain constant focus on legal compliance, while being highly productive with a focus on quality and details.  Must be computer literate with proficiency and working knowledge of database and reporting tools such as: Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 

• Traits: Organized, high-integrity, attention to detail, dependable, quality focus, empathetic, good listener/communicator 

• Other: Energetic, highly motivated, team player with strong personal and communication skills; discretion and confidentiality essential as position deals with highly sensitive and private data