Job Abstract

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist

Join the transformative team at City of Hope, where we're changing lives and making a real difference in the fight against cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. City of Hope’s growing national system includes its Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, and treatment facilities in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix. Our dedicated and compassionate employees are driven by a common mission: To deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. 

The Clinical Pharmacist Specialist (CPS) operates at the pinnacle of clinical practice, working autonomously to facilitate evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through direct and indirect engagement with patients and providers. This role entails collaborative work within the multidisciplinary team at City of Hope. Additionally, they provide disease-specific support in their area of specialty, act as a bridge between the pharmacy enterprise and healthcare team. 

As a successful candidate, you will: 

• Actively participate in multidisciplinary team rounds.
• Evaluate physician’s medication orders for appropriateness.
• Help develop and implement drug therapy plans for patients in collaboration with the other team members.
• Monitor treatments and provides timely follow-up on the clinical effects of the medication regimen with recommendation for adjustments as necessary to achieve optimal outcomes and documents actions.
• When appropriate, approves new drug orders, which may include checking/verifying chemotherapy notes, and processing non-formulary requests.
• Engage in activities related to reimbursement optimization and pre-authorization with the ultimate goal of minimizing insurance denials, when appropriate. 
• Engage in activities that promotes cost effective high-quality care such as review for appropriate medication use criteria, medical necessity and “on/off” label indication based on payor guidelines, coordination of necessary documentation with the ordering provider, and interpreting ongoing payor changes to the team.
• Keep abreast of changes in payor policies and practices.
• Educate medical, nursing, and pharmacy staff about the management, prescribing and monitoring of oncology therapies including chemotherapy agents.
• Work in close collaboration with pharmacy medication safety officer to address medication errors and near misses and ensure that system issues resulting in those medication errors are resolved. Develop standard work processes and staff education to address system gaps
• Participate in formulary management and review of medication use processes to improve timely delivery of patient care.
• Maintains compliance with all rules and regulations governing the practice of Pharmacy and City of Hope policies and procedures. 
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Leadership Team.

Your qualifications should include: 

Minimum Education: 

• Graduate of ACPE-accredited Pharmacy School 
• Pharmacy Practice Residency (PGY 1) and Specialty Residency (PGY2), or 
• Five years of experience as a clinical pharmacist in a desired area of specialty may substitute for the required residencies, or 
• A PGY1 residency plus three years of experience as a clinical pharmacist in a desired area of specialty may substitute for the required PGY2 residency.

Req. Certification/Licensure: 

• Current CA Pharmacist License 
• BLS certification or within 3 months of hire
• Board Certification in the area of specialty (if applicable) is required or must be obtained within 3 years of employment.

Preferred Experience: 

• Previous experience as a clinical pharmacy in the specified area for at least 5 years, preferred.

City of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.  To learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please click here.

To learn more about our Comprehensive Benefits, please CLICK HERE.