The Clinical Pharmacist (Pharmacy Benefits Management) must be a licensed pharmacist and is responsible for providing the full range of pharmacy benefits management functions. The incumbent will be based at the West Los Angeles site and the incumbent works under the supervision of the PBM Program Manager.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Performs the full range of pharmacy benefits management functions including reviewing nonformulary and restricted medications, reviewing national contract compliance, and providing comprehensive drug information. Reviews a wide variety of patients in assigned patient care areas and makes appropriate recommendations on drug therapy. Responsible for patient care activities utilizing an advanced in-depth knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice. Responsible for patient care activities involving highly innovative methods of healthcare delivery. Includes clinical privileges in assigned area. Develops, plans, and implements innovative ambulatory care programs with an emphasis in total pharmaceutical care. Evaluates a wide variety of patients in assigned patient care areas and makes appropriate recommendations on drug therapy. Designs, recommends, and implements pharmacotherapeutic regimens and corresponding monitoring plans. Assesses the appropriateness of prescription orders. Verifies new prescription orders for name of the patient, drug, formulary availability or status, drug dose, quantity, indications, directions, and number of refills. Also verifies that all appropriate laboratory tests or other monitoring tests are completed before the prescription is processed. Processes pending orders. Performs medication reviews for indication, effectiveness, safety, compliance, drug interactions, therapeutic duplications, and adverse drug events. Works with PBM Program Manager to develop institutional policies and standard operating procedures relevant to area of management. Effectively organizes workload, plans short- and long-range objectives, solves problems, and achieves goals within budget and staffing constraints under supervision of the PBM program manager. Assists in data collection and preparation. Participates in P&T and other committees as assigned. Participates in quality assurance activities including performing medication utilization evaluations as well as tracking and trending medication errors and adverse drug events. Responsible for the controlled substance accountability program and the drug accountability program for pharmacy. Responsible for complying with all applicable Federal, VA, and Greater Los Angeles regulations, policies, and procedures pertaining to controlled substance accountability and drug accountability for pharmacy. Ensures assigned administrative projects and reports are submitted in a timely fashion. Collaborates with the Pharmacy Program Manager (Education and Training), to promote the learning experience and improve the performance of all levels of pharmacy staff. Participates in all aspects of training such as conducting on-the-job training, conducting inservices, and monitoring performance. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm. Tour may be adjusted to meet medical center and patient care needs. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT). Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of June 7, 2012 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. AND Applicants must meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below: 1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. 2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. 3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. 4. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. GS-13 Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. AND Applicants must meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below: 1. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. 2. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. 3. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. 4. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. 5. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55 PART II APPENDIX G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing/sitting for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lbs, and bending/stooping. The work may entail repetitive wrist movement while using various size syringes, vial cap removal, and typing.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System 11301 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90073 US
• Name: Hugo Lopez
• Phone: (858) 552-8585 X7748
• Email: [email protected]