Meridian Health Looking for Transitions Care Pharmacist – Full Time at New Jersey Full Time

How have you impacted someone’s life today? At Hackensack Meridian Health our healthcare teams are focused on changing the lives of our patients by providing the highest level of care each and every day. From our hospitals, rehab centers and occupational health teams to our long-term care centers and at-home care capabilities, our complete spectrum of services will allow you to apply your skills in multiple settings while building your career all within New Jersey’s premier healthcare system.

The Transitions of Care Pharmacist is responsible for involvement in the clinical aspects of pharmaceutical patient care including interaction with patients, families, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers.

As a key member of the treatment team, the Pharmacist will optimize medication therapy management to improve clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes. Activities will encompass participation in: admission medication reconciliation, discharge medication reconciliation, patient counseling/teaching and multidisciplinary care planning.

Responsibilities

A day in the life of a Transitions Care Pharmacist at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

1. Conducts Comprehensive Medication Reviews, and Targeted Interventions to assess appropriateness of all medications including dose and drug regimen to optimize medication therapy and improve clinical outcomes.
2. Engages in active patient-centered medication therapy management through transitional care including medication reconciliation services and discharge assistance: patient counseling on medications, medication history, admissions and discharge medication reconciliations, facilitation of patient care, coordination of benefits, authorizations and formulary management.
3. Assists with managing medications and medication costs through coordination of benefits, assistance with prior authorization, formulary adherence, avoiding unnecessary and/or duplicate medication therapies and optimization of the medication regimen. Collaborates with the outpatient pharmacy.
4. Consults with the prescriber, the interdisciplinary care team, the patient and/or caregiver to identify/develop patient specific disease state therapy goals.
5. Provides interdisciplinary support and collaboration; communicates and documents clinical recommendations/interventions to prescribers and the interdisciplinary care team.
6. Provides and follows up on recommended interventions with prescribers, interdisciplinary care team, other pharmacists, patients and/or caregivers, including appropriate documentation of recommendations and interventions.
7. Coordinates medication reconciliation across the continuum of care and monitoring to improve clinical outcomes and to help prevent unnecessary readmissions, lapses in care and adverse drug reactions.
8. Assists with medication-related plans for the day of discharge and conducts follow up with high risk patients during the 30 day post-discharge period.
9. Identify additional therapies needed or therapies no longer needed prior to discharge.
10. Assists with staffing as deemed necessary by the Director of Pharmacy.
11.Identifies the needs of the patient population served and modifies and delivers care that is specific to those needs (i.e., age, culture, language, hearing and/or visually impaired, etc.) This process includes communicating with the patient, parent and/or primary caregiver(s) at their level (developmental/age, educational, literacy, etc.).
12. Adheres to the standards identified in the Medical Center’s Organizational Competencies.

Qualifications

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

1. Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or PharmD from an ACPE accredited pharmacy school.
2. A minimum of two years of work experience, preferably in an acute care setting.
3. Strong clinical therapeutic skills and demonstration of knowledge of appropriate medication dosing in geriatric and adult populations.
4. Must be self-directed and possess excellent organizational and communication skills.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

1. Pharmacy Residency (PGY-1).
2. Performance of the 5 Core Elements of Medication Therapy Management Services:
a. Comprehensive Medication Therapy Review (CMR)
b. Personal Medication Record (PMR)
c. Medication-Related Action Plan
d. Interventions and Referrals
e. Documentation of Services and Follow-Up
3. Communicates effectively, and possesses strong verbal and written skills. Ability to articulate information in a clear and concise manner and be able to relate to peers, prescribers, interdisciplinary care team, patients and/or caregiver.
4. Demonstrates excellent listening skills, and maintains empathy with callers in tone, language, questions and counseling. Able to employ the `teach back’ method during patient/family counseling.
5. Ability to probe and question patients and providers to extract information to understand concerns and needs.
6. Demonstrates professional conduct in dealing with healthcare providers, patients and/or caregivers at all times.
7. Ability to maintain a professional demeanor on the phone at all times by demonstrating patience, caring, sensitivity, empathy, and cultural competency.
8. Ability to respond to providers and patients in a supportive manner.
9. Ability to defuse potential customer conflicts utilizing the appropriate tone, support, questions and/or counsel.
10. Ability to adopt a customer service approach to problem solving and operations.
11. Self-motivated and works independently with minimal supervision.
12. Ability to appropriately treat private and confidential information as required by HIPAA.
13. Adheres to company policies and procedures and federal and state rules and regulations.
14. Ability to demonstrate proficiency of computer applications. EPIC experience.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

1. Registered Pharmacist License.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

1. Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.
2. Medication Therapy Management Certification.

If you feel the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!