Pharmacy Services Manager

Manager Pharmacy Services

At Houston Methodist, the Manager Pharmacy Services position is responsible for providing and assuring quality pharmaceutical care in accordance with accepted ethical and professional practices and all legal and regulatory requirements. This position organizes, manages, controls, monitors, and evaluates pharmacy services that promote desirable patient outcomes through the use of safe, sufficient, and cost-effective drug therapies. The manager position responsibilities include managing the daily work activities of the work unit/department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence and efficiency while assisting management in accomplishing strategic and operational objectives. In addition, this position provides guidance to staff and is responsible for staffing, budget compliance, contributing to staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work-related performance, and assisting in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment. This position also implements training, monitoring and operations initiatives that secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/government regulations.

Responsibilities

People Essential Functions:

• Performs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees in the department. Provides development and mentoring of staff. Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover. Develops direct reports to perform these same functions.
• Provides fair and consistent leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting regular department meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all employees, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem.
• Facilitates and promotes effective team dynamics and teambuilding strategies within and between departments; participates and/or leads and facilitates department process improvements as needed.
• Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators: action readiness score, tier level.

Service Essential Functions:

• Plans and organizes day-to-day department operations, schedule and activities. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.
• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the department.
• Serves as a liaison between medical, nursing and allied health staff and the department of pharmacy for operational issues.

Quality/Safety Essential Functions:

• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines, including infection control principles. Monitors and confirms staff maintain their required credentials that demonstrate competency per accrediting agency or department guidelines as applicable.
• Uses and optimizes information systems to enhance operations; supports entity-specific performance improvement and data management/analysis functions.
• Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes by monitoring and improving the department workflow, using peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses and/or adverse events immediately and identifying solutions via collaboration. Adopts lean principles in driving process improvements. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.
• Monitors self and employee compliance with policies, procedures, and System HR Standards of Practice and performs associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., focal point review requirements, disaster plan, in-services, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).
• Assists the Director in maintaining integration of pharmacy services throughout the entity to ensure compliance with legal requirements set by federal, state, and local agencies as well as rules and regulations of other accreditation/regulatory agencies that govern the practice of pharmacy.
• Promotes positive patient outcomes and experiences through the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals within areas of oversight.
• Provides leadership and expertise in the medication management process and integrates most effective use of people and technology within areas of oversight.

Finance Essential Functions:

• Assists in the development of department budget and ensures that the department operates in a cost-effective manner. Manages/audits department expenses within approved budget parameters, ensuring that the department meets the budgeted/flex revenue and/or expense targets on a monthly and annual basis. Develops staffing plans and schedules to meet department/patient care needs that reflect understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.
• Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and staffing needs, developing others to do the same, through optimizing productivity, supply/resource efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime and overtime percentage, and other areas according to department specifications.
• Maintains cost effective inventory levels in pharmacy areas and follows formulary guidelines.

Growth/Innovation Essential Functions:

• Identifies and implements innovative solutions for practice or workflow changes to improve department operations or other department-specific measures by leading unit projects and/or other department/system directed shared governance activities. Supports change initiatives, maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements or cultures.
• Proactively evaluates processes; recommends and implements action plan(s) for change; follows through to ensure effective, sustainable change. Participates in the development and implementation of new procedures and the review and revision of existing procedures.
• Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, and units to achieve business goals.
• Seeks opportunities to identify developmental needs of self and staff and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan (MDP) on an ongoing basis. Conducts conversations with staff on their development and MDP.
• Maintains active involvement in professional organizations to stay abreast of current trends and to contribute to the growth of the pharmacy profession.
• Participates in the Education and Research programs of the hospital, including preceptorship with accredited residencies and undergraduate pharmacy programs.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Qualifications

Education:

• Graduate of education program approved by the credentialing body for the required credential(s) indicated below in the Certifications, Licenses and Registrations section.
• An advanced degree (i.e., master's degree or Pharm.D) preferred.

Work Experience:

• Must have one of the following:
• Successful completion of an ASHP-accredited post-graduate year one (PGY1) and year two (PGY2) residency training program.
• Successful completion of an ASHP-accredited fellowship program.
• Six years of hospital pharmacy experience.
• Prior experience in a lead role, or HM experience and performance that demonstrates leadership abilities.
• Prefer experience with computerized drug distribution/pharmacy management systems, drug preparation and drug use control systems, drug product selection, purchasing, inventory control, clinical, ambulatory pharmacy services, specialized drug delivery devices, and teaching.

License/Certification

Licenses and Certifications - Required:

• PHRM - Pharmacist - State Licensure within 90 days AND
• PPC- Pharmacist Preceptor Cert - State Licensure within 90 days AND
• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) within 90 days

Licenses and Certifications - Preferred:

• ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support or Instructor (AHA) OR
• IV Certification - Intravenous certification (Various) OR
• Board of Pharmacy Specialties Certification

KSA/ Supplemental Data

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations.
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security.
• Ability to effectively communicate through a variety of channels with patients, physicians