Director Pharmacy

St. Luke’s Health-Memorial paves the way for quality innovative health care in East Texas and provides more than a quarter of a million patient services each year. With hospitals in Lufkin Livingston and San Augustine St. Luke’s Health-Memorial provides millions of dollars in charity care and community support each year.

The Director Pharmacy will be responsible for the oversight and coordination of daily department operations at the assigned facility in accordance with standards of practice, organizational policies/standards, procedures and applicable regulatory requirements.  Pharmacy service operations includes the compounding/dispensing of drugs according to prescriptions issued by a licensed provider, providing patient counseling and drug therapy monitoring to ensure patients receive safe, efficacious and cost-effective medication therapy.  Work includes coordinating, scheduling, overseeing and assisting professional pharmacists and ancillary department staff in performing drug distribution, preparation and associated pharmaceutical care activities.  

Work also includes: 

1) responsibility for meeting financial objectives in labor, revenue and gross margins;

2) implementing performance improvement initiatives;

3) evaluating department effectiveness in meeting clinical/service expectations; and 4) troubleshooting pharmaceutical care issues.  If applicable to the assigned facility, directs and evaluates the Pharmacy Residency Program and supervises on-site program participants.  

Work requires knowledge of the concepts, professional standards and methodologies applicable to the pharmaceutical care, and of applicable regulatory requirements sufficient to ensure quality and compliant patient care and to exercise judgment and critical thinking in resolving complex issues.  The director is expected to apply solid principles of leadership, human relations and continuous quality improvement in the overall management, coordination, and refinement of inpatient pharmaceutical care.

Operations:
● Manages and evaluates the operations, programs and resources of the assigned facility to assure the safe and appropriate delivery of patient care, achievement of clinical core measurement scores, and to ensure that all activities are conducted in a timely and cost-effective manner and in compliance with organizational values, professional standards, internal policies/standards/procedures and applicable regulatory requirements; participates in the development of, and implements new clinical systems/programs to enhance existing services and raise the standard of care for the patient population served; ensures that work unit activities, productivity, and/or quality indicators are documented in accordance with guidelines; produces and presents reports on key performance indicators and other significant benchmarking metrics; collaborates with other departments to address and resolve problems, share information and enhance overall effectiveness/productivity.

Staff Management and Development:

● Plans, manages and evaluates the work of clinical and administrative staff in accordance with the content, spirit and intent of applicable internal/external regulations and standards for human resource management; identifies adequate staffing levels for appropriate coverage to meet budgetary and operational objectives; ensures that employees are qualified and properly trained to perform assigned job duties; holds regular staff meetings and keeps employees appraised of all matters relevant to successful job performance; makes employment decisions, establishes
performance standards, assesses clinical competency and evaluates employee performance; educates, guides, counsels and develops staff and addresses performance management concerns and technical issues elevated by subordinates as beyond their scope of authority.
● This position may serve as the Residency Program Director as applicable.

Regulatory Compliance:
● Ensures that all aspects of clinical operations are conducted and documented in compliance with relevant internal policies, standards and procedures and applicable regulatory requirements; assesses, on a continuous basis, services, patient outcomes, quality control, family/patient satisfaction, staffing needs and operational effectiveness to ensure optimal care delivery; ensures that internal controls are sufficient to provide for accurate, complete and compliant programs and processes; identifies need for changes in standards, programs and services, and develops recommendations for consideration by the Director.
● Keeps abreast of changing regulatory requirements/regulation, clinical/professional standards, changing customer demographics and competitive industry practices impacting assigned functions, as well as organizational initiatives/changes with potential to impact current strategies, programs and resources; determines nature/scope of impact on existing activities and determines effective response/solution while maintaining acceptable service levels and work quality.

Performance/Quality Improvement:
● Works with management team to ensure the application of consistent practices relating to internal operations, patient care, quality of human resources activities and standards; assesses the strengths/weaknesses of the assigned clinical area/facility to identify opportunities and provide recommendations to Director for new quality/performance improvement initiatives; implements new processes and ensures that performance improvement activities are conducted in a timely and effective manner; ensures that staff receive the necessary on-site training and consultation to enhance their understanding of quality/performance improvement initiatives.

Procedures Development/Implementation:
● Recommends, implements and evaluates new/revised procedures, guidelines, training materials and/or general communications in support of assigned clinical area/facility to ensure consistency with the philosophy/values of the organization and compliance with applicable regulatory/accreditation requirements; reviews training materials prior to assimilation into training curricula; ensures that all clinical and related support activities are fully documented in accordance with the standards and practices of the organization; ensures that employees understand and apply internal guidelines appropriately, and monitors compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Short- and Long-Term Planning:
● Participates, as a key member of the management team for the assigned clinical function, in the development of strategies, initiatives and programs addressing matters such as: provision of new services, standardization of procedures across the organization, increasing market share, maximizing resources, cross-selling services, improving cost-effectiveness of clinical services provided, enhancing patient outcomes/satisfaction and other issues of similar complexity and consequence.

Budget Administration:
● Identifies resources needed to accomplish the performance objectives of the assigned facility and participates in the development of the annual operating/capital budget for the overall clinical function; exercises effective cost control by monitoring and adjusting expenses as needed to stay within budget; approves expenditures within defined scope of responsibility; identifies negative variances and develops action plans to document, address and effectively resolve in a timely manner; produces complete and accurate financial, budget, activity and productivity information, including variance reports, financial projections and other statistical reports; keeps senior management apprised of all issues with potential for budgetary impact.

Required  Education and Experience:

● B.S. in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy required
● Minimum of 4 years of recent pharmacy (or similar) work experience
● Demonstrated change management, standardization and leadership development skills required
● Demonstrated ability to create enthusiasm for new programs and different approaches to existing programs required
● Demonstrated quality improvement competencies required
● Demonstrated understanding of utilization and productivity in a variety of clinical settings required

Preferred Education and Experience:

● Minimum of 2 years in a leadership position or pharmacy residency completed or supplemental Masters Degree (MBA, MS, MHA, etc) preferred
● Membership in the ASHP, ASCP, APHA and/or other professional associations is desirable

Required Licensure and Certifications:

Active Pharmacist License in good standing in the state in which the employee works

Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abililties and Training:

● Knowledge of current pharmaceutical technology, including distribution, protocol design, monitoring, intervention and provision of pharmaceutical care.
● Knowledge of the standards and regulatory requirements applicable to the pharmaceutical care profession.
● Knowledge of the principles, practices and regulatory requirements pertaining to management of subordinate staff.
● Knowledge of the methods and techniques used to securely store narcotics and other controlled substances sufficient to ensure the security of the area.
● Knowledge of major medication therapy, drug-drug interactions, and disease states.
● Knowledge of the principles, practices, standards and techniques relating to the compounding and dispensing of medicinal drugs.
● Knowledge of the concepts and methods for analyzing and enhancing performance and productivity of the assigned work unit.
● Knowledge of effective methods for budget development and monitoring, and for strategic planning.
● Knowledge of infection control, safety and risk management standards as relates to the pharmacy setting

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