Pharmacy Specialist - Cell & Gene Therapy - Full Time - Detroit

GENERAL SUMMARY:
The Pharmacy Specialist is a pharmacist who, by virtue of knowledge gained through special training and/or substantial experience, has become the institutional expert in a major area of pharmacy practice. The Pharmacy Specialist assumes overall leadership responsibility in directing the pharmacy-related activities in his/her area of specialty practice by planning, developing, and implementing new and/or improved systems or services. Generally, works independently of direct supervision, and initiates discussion and action as necessary with other departments or clinicians in order to resolve problems and/or to effect change. The Pharmacy Specialist plays a role as a teacher and is responsible for helping other members of the staff master those skills necessary to effectively practice in his/her area. The Pharmacy Specialist uses scientific technique in applied research designed to resolve problems encountered in daily practice, and regularly contributes to the general body of knowledge pertaining to his/her specialty.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collaborate with the Clinical Shared Services Medication Management team to stay abreast and monitor the pharmaceutical pipeline of cellular & gene therapies, along with its potential relevance for the organization.
• Serves as a lead for the Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) Workgroup and is responsible for presenting this group's work to the Medication Management Committee (MMC) and its respective subcommittees).
• Organize the CGT workgroup, agenda, minutes, meetings and facilitate discussions with all stakeholders [business unit & service line operations leaders, finance, IT, pharmacy, nursing, lab, radiology, revenue cycle, managed care contracting, etc]; +/- clinical formulary review, as needed.
• Coordinate and complete feasibility assessment of each requested cellular & gene therapy for the organization with stakeholders and subject matter experts.
• Oversee and manage the onboarding of all cellular and gene therapies recommended for formulary inclusion with front-line stakeholders [ex: clinical front-desk, auth specialist, nurse, pharmacist] to ensure a seamless and coordinated approach for each individual therapy [workstream]
• Develops all CGT care pathways or algorithms for pharmaceutical use within the electronic health record and/or drug use policy and ensures that these are kept up to date and are communicated to the respective providers and stakeholders.
• Patient Care Services: Coordinate & connect with stakeholders; Track patient progress through phases and encourage timely movement along the patient journey; Provide single pharmacy source of communication; drug/clinical information.
• Monitors all requests for CGT and coordinates their use at Henry Ford Health, which includes working with:
  
  
  
  • Contracts to obtain letters of agreement or single case agreement for payment
  • Patient Billing to arrange for addition to their business line
  • Finance to ensure payment can be arranged
  • Pharmacy Supply Chain to arrange for the order
  • Infusion Center to help the clinic coordinate access of medication and supplies, education for preparation, administration, and monitoring, and scheduling.
  • Provider(s) in the clinic to assist with patient coordination activities
  • Any other coordination that is necessary to avoid a drug misadventure or waste of the drug
  
  
  
  
• Reviews requests for CGT to determine if the request is consistent with payor plan guidelines. Completes literature searches and reviews with clinical team to determine medical necessity and coverage. Assists medical staff in making an appeal for reconsideration when a request is denied.
• Monitors all activities related to CGT and prepares a quarterly report to share with Pharmacy Enterprise Leadership.
• Outcomes: Track and monitor outcomes, such as efficacy and safety, as well as all medication related requirements for regulatory and contractual compliance.
• Participate and support pharmaceutical research through precepting pharmacy residents and students, as well as through publications or presentations to advance knowledge and practice in this area.