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Role Description

The incumbent of this position serves as a Clinical Pharmacist (CP) in the VISN 21 Clinical Contact Center (CCC) as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for providing optimal clinical and pharmaceutical care activities in the VISN CCC in accordance with the department's mission, vision, and goals.

The VISN Clinical Contact Center Clinical Pharmacist's primary responsibility is the utilization of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through direct interactions with patients and providers as well as the safe provision of pharmaceuticals and medication information in a timely manner. This pharmacist promotes and manages drug therapy based on current clinical knowledge and established policies.

• Completion of electronic prescription orders, checking of completed prescription orders for accuracy and safety.
• Management of VA and VISN formularies, and assistance in achieving VISN goals related to medication management and patient care.
• Professionally receives and handles escalated telephone calls from and responds to veterans, their family members and/or legal representatives regarding a broad range of topics, including:
  • Appropriate use of medications and medical devices.
  • Basic billing inquiries.
  • Clinical questions.
  • Medication refills/renewals.
  • Drug-drug interactions.
  • Adverse effects.
  • Food-drug interactions.
  • Product availability.
  • Pharmacy policies as appropriate.
• Monitors provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, incompatibilities, side effects, and patient compliance issues.
• Actively reviews patient medication regimens for cost-effective drug selection, dosing, contraindications, therapeutic duplication, appropriate route and method of administration, drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes.
• Provides findings and responses to drug information requests to prescribers in a timely manner and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or products per facility policy.
• Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per VISN CCC policy.
• Manages various actions for medication orders including flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using the "service reject" function.
• Reviews prescription renewal verification requests and takes appropriate action to extend refills until the next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per VISN CCC policy.
• Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate.
• Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications.
• Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care and recognizes significant abnormalities.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable.
• Processes secure messages appropriately and in a timely manner as assigned.
• Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel as required.
• Acts as a point-of-contact for outside services in assisting with patient care issues.
• Completes additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Requirements

• Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
• Minimum 2 years experience in outpatient pharmacy.
• Minimum 2 years experience staffing a call center.

Benefits

• Full Time; Varies to include nights, weekends, and holidays; Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency.
• Not Available for Telework.
• This position has an approved exemption from the Return to Office memorandum.