Transitions of Care Clinical Senior Pharmacist

Scope of Position

Under the direction of the Assistant or Associate Director of Pharmacy, the Specialty Practice Senior provides programmatic oversight for system-wide Transitions of Care (TOC). This position assists in leading programs related to TOC to and from the acute care setting for the OSUWMC health-system. In this role, the Specialty Practice Senior Pharmacist maintains functional expertise and provides patient care, participates in appropriate hospital and/or departmental committees across the enterprise, and helps lead strategic implementation and oversight of TOC programs. This position will promote and implement quality and process improvement initiatives, collaborate with medication safety to identify system improvements, and utilize metrics to demonstrate value and expand the reach of the TOC program. This position will also serve as the primary point of contact for the college of pharmacy to oversee and coordinate the pharmacy student and faculty involvement in TOC at OSUWMC.

Position Summary

The Specialty Practice Senior Pharmacist assists with the planning, organization, and evaluation of acute care TOC services provided by Department of Pharmacy. Under the guidance of the Assistant or Associate Director, this position assists in overseeing, guiding, and evaluating the work performance of the TOC pharmacy technicians and other pharmacy extenders. This position facilitates the maintenance of the existing TOC program through use of TOC dashboard metrics to drive expansion and reach of pharmacy services. Other key functions include leading quality and process improvement projects, collaborating with providers, nurses, and staff across the system to optimize medication transitions of care, and implementation of discharge medication reconciliation.

This position can be further summarized as follows:

• Provides direct patient care as required
• Participate in appropriate hospital and/or departmental committees
• Identifies and resolves service problems
• Conducts research in pharmacy practice
• Participates in developing and implementing the department strategic plan related to acute care TOC services, quality, and safety
• Participates and leads the implementation of new technology to improve services, patient care, patient safety, and educational opportunities for staff and students
• Identifies, implements, and monitors services within area of scope that guide and support the provision of high-quality cost-effective pharmaceutical care
• Identifies and monitors service-related metrics. Works with pharmacy informatics to develop, implement, and maintain a dashboard for tracking and measuring TOC outcomes
• Ensures compliance with regulatory and accreditation agencies for areas of oversight. Coordinates policy review and educational updates to meet regulatory quality standards

• Works collaboratively with OSUWMC Outpatient Pharmacy to expand bedside delivery of medications
• Collaborates/interfaces with organizational, medical, and nursing staff to execute quality improvement initiatives
• Develops, implements, and maintains a process for discharge medication reconciliation and discharge counseling at the institution
• Promotes and participates in various task forces related to transitions of care for the hospital at large
• Coordinates with the College of Pharmacy Medication Reconciliation program to provide support and aid in expansion

• Collaborates with management to support oversight, hiring, orientation and evaluation of TOC pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, and TOC pharmacy technician managers

Job Functions

Duties and Responsibilities

75% Professional Practice Activities

Assists in maintaining accuracy and timeliness of medication reconciliation and transitions of care efforts to ensure a high level of patient care and customer service

Successfully be granted and maintain applicable pharmacy privileges through the OSUWMC medical staff

Utilizes pharmacy privileges regularly in providing evidence-based clinical care and elevating practice and successfully completes accompanying competency exams. Available privileging responsibilities include:

Adjusts medications based on route of medication administration access

Monitors and adjusts medications based on renal, hepatic, antithrombotic indications, and hematologic parameters

Orders and adjusts laboratory tests related to monitoring medication therapy

Modifies and adjusts Total Parenteral Nutrition therapy and associated fluids and electrolytes in conjunction with a dietician

Monitors laboratory values and adjusts supportive medication for high-dose methotrexate management

Additional optional privileges to be obtained if within scope of clinical practice area

Recommends and plans drug therapy considering clinical appropriateness, safety, efficacy, and cost

Maintains and reviews patient profiles

Screens for drug interactions (including drug-drug, drug-herb/dietary supplements, drug-food interactions in collaboration with Registered Dieticians)

Interacts with physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals in a courteous and professional manner

Meets commitments and responds to requests in a timely manner

Performs tasks efficiently and within established time standards

Manages time wisely and demonstrates the ability to prioritize assigned tasks

10% Project and Quality Improvement, Program Planning and Directing, Compliance

Participates in hospital and Pharmacy Department committees as assigned

Assists with prioritization and execution of initiatives across the pharmacy enterprise and implements continuous quality improvement and project management to achieve organizational excellence

Integrating pharmacy as part of the medical centers quality program

Demonstrating sustainable improvement in pharmacy quality

Leverages actionable data to drive decisions and recommendations in collaboration with pharmacy informatics team

Develops professional working relationships with other hospital and University departments in order to improve the high-quality care provided to patients and communicates that information to the appropriate personnel

Assesses compliance with pharmacy practice laws and guidelines developed by the Board of Pharmacy, DEA, FDA, Joint Commission, ASHP, and others related to TOC

Serves as liaison with nursing, physicians, and other external stakeholders to resolve any relevant pharmacy service issues

Collaborates with departmental leaders in patient care operations, quality and safety, informatics, and finance

Facilitates discussions with all levels of team members and management to update stakeholders in status of TOC initiatives, progress, and barriers utilizing project management skills and effective communication

Maintains comprehensive records of activities, performance metrics, and improvement initiatives

Identifies areas for improvement in pharmacy department and works with teams to implement TOC process enhancements and best practices

Establishes and maintains key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness and impact of pharmacy initiatives

Proactively identifies significant project risks, develops mitigation strategies, escalates as appropriate, and implements approved mitigation steps

Leads ongoing departmental or interdisciplinary committees and workgroups related to TOC efforts

Participates in Patient Safety Reporting System medication event review

Interfaces with pharmacy areas across the health system to gain operational knowledge as needed

Identifies and presents ideas for process, medication safety, and quality improvement opportunities

Shows attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness to continually improve TOC program quality

10% Teaching, Educational, and Research Activities

Collaborates with the College of Pharmacy to enhance the national reputation of the Medical Center pharmacy program through scholarship, education, and research

Facilitates training and guidance of pharmacy transitions of care efforts

Coordinates professional training, competency, and quality review activities

Represents the pharmacy enterprise by developing and maintaining interdepartmental professional relationships

Coordinates experiential teaching of Pharm.D. students, interns, externs, pharmacy residents, and regular staff

Educates medical residents, fellows, physicians, advanced practice providers, and students on medication reconciliation and transitions of care efforts

Possesses global understanding of department operations, workflow, and medication distribution

Participates in research protocols pertaining to site-specific clinical activities

Develops residency research ideas

Contributes relevant publications to professional journals

Proactively identifies and resolves operational barriers

5% Team Leadership Activities

Assists management with recruitment, onboarding, and performance evaluation of personnel

Models appropriate workplace behavior, provides positive feedback and takes advantage of opportunities to coach staff to be successful and satisfied in their work

Develops and maintains policies and procedures

Develops and implements process and quality improvement activities

Identifies opportunities to improve patient care by efficiently using resources

Establishes and achieves target metrics for area of responsibility

Organizational Expectations

Practices within the Medical Center's policies and procedures. Adheres to the Medical Centers mission, vision and values.

Minimum Qualifications

For Hire: Licensed pharmacist in the State of Ohio; advanced degree (Pharm.D./MS or Masters of Business) preferred, PGY1 and PGY2 residency preferred and/or equivalent experience or advanced degree related to scope of position, proven track record of longitudinal multidisciplinary project implementation and ongoing management, strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrates process improvement and optimization-related knowledge, skills, and experiences, demonstrates project management capabilities, possesses ability to work well in an environment with changing priorities and ability to work well independently and as a part of a team.

On going: Conducts experiential and/or didactic teaching of pharmacy students (including interns), pharmacy residents, and permanent staff. Professional instruction to the hospital and clinical staff or other professional organizations. Participates in and presents intra-departmental continuing education programs in addition to professional presentations to local community groups, the College of Pharmacy, other hospitals and pharmacy departments, and professional meetings.

Knowledge of growth and development and an understanding of the range of treatments necessary to meet the age specific needs of the patient population served (Check those that apply):

Not Applicable: Non-direct patient care title

Adolescents (14 - 17 years)

Neonates (0 - 6 months)

Adults (18 - 64 years)

X

Children (7 months - 13 years)

Geriatrics (65 + years)

X

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