Ancillary Applications Analyst – Pharmacy

Nexus Health Systems Ltd•Houston, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under the general direction of the IT Clinical Applications Manager, the Ancillary Applications Analyst – Pharmacy serves as a functional owner of MEDITECH pharmacy and medication management applications supporting Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Staff across Nexus Health Systems' network of pediatric specialty hospitals and medical-model residential treatment centers in Houston, Shenandoah, The Woodlands, Conroe, Dallas, and San Antonio. The Analyst partners with Pharmacy leadership to translate clinical and operational requirements into system configuration, maintains the safety and integrity of the closed-loop medication process from order entry through administration, and serves as a pharmacy applications lead on the organization's 14-month migration from MEDITECH Client/Server to MEDITECH Expanse. Hands-on MEDITECH pharmacy application experience is required for this position. MEDITECH Expanse experience is strongly preferred. This position is based at the Houston corporate office. Onsite presence at Nexus campuses, including Dallas and San Antonio, is required during Expanse build validation, integrated testing, cutover, and other critical implementation events. This job description covers all four levels of the Ancillary Applications Analyst – Pharmacy (I, II, Senior, and Principal); the scope, independence, and leadership expectations of the position scale by level as described under Experience.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy, Nursing, Health Informatics, Information Systems, Healthcare Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant hospital pharmacy operations and MEDITECH experience.
Hands-on MEDITECH pharmacy application experience (PHA, Provider Order Management medication content, eMAR, Bedside Medication Verification), obtained through implementation, optimization, or production support in a live environment.
Hospital pharmacy operations experience as a pharmacy technician, pharmacist, or pharmacy informatics analyst, with working knowledge of the medication use process from ordering through administration.
Experience eliciting requirements, documenting workflows, and developing and executing test scripts.
Experience producing project artifacts, including status reports, business requirements, and non-technical design documents.
MEDITECH applications (Client/Server and Expanse): PHA – Pharmacy: order verification, dispensing, IV and compounding, formulary and dictionaries
POM / Provider Order Management: medication ordering, order sets, dose range checking
eMAR and Bedside Medication Verification (BMV)
NUR / PCS: medication-related nursing documentation content
MM – Materials Management as it relates to pharmacy inventory and charge items
NPR Report Writer (Client/Server); Report Designer and Data Repository (Expanse)
Third-party and interfaced systems: Drug database First Databank; Pyxis automated dispensing cabinets; wholesaler ordering; smart pump drug libraries.
Working SQL (SQL Server); report design and data validation.
Requirements analysis, workflow documentation, test script development, and user acceptance testing.
Knowledge of system development lifecycle and change control practices.
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Visio or an equivalent process-mapping tool.
Ability to translate between pharmacy and nursing clinical language and technical configuration.
Facilitation of cross-functional clinical stakeholder groups; strong issue tracking and follow-through.
Ability to teach system functionality to pharmacy and nursing end users.
Must pass a criminal background check on an annual basis.
Participate in the after-hours on-call rotation, approximately once per month.
Travel to Nexus Health Systems facilities in Houston, Shenandoah, The Woodlands, Conroe, Dallas, and San Antonio as required; onsite presence at all campuses during Expanse testing, cutover, and go-live events.
Familiarity with the Nexus ticketing system and internal platforms expected within 90 days of hire.

Nice To Haves

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) or Master's degree in a related field (Principal level).
Hands-on MEDITECH Expanse pharmacy experience.
Participation in a MEDITECH Client/Server or MAGIC to Expanse migration, including pharmacy dictionary mapping and conversion validation.
Pediatric, behavioral health, or post-acute pharmacy experience, including psychotropic medication management and weight-based dosing.
Automated dispensing cabinet integration and controlled substance reconciliation experience.
Multi-facility MEDITECH configuration.
Lean/Six Sigma process improvement concepts (preferred).
Texas-registered Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or Texas-licensed Pharmacist (RPh/PharmD); a current RN license is also accepted as a clinical pathway.
CPHIMS, CAHIMS, or Board Certified Pharmacy Informatics (where applicable to the candidate's licensure) (Senior and Principal).
Analyst I: 0–2 years; pharmacy operations background with MEDITECH end-user exposure; Expanse not expected; supports build and testing under direction.
Analyst II: 3–5 years; hands-on MEDITECH pharmacy configuration; Expanse preferred; independent build and reporting; leads defined workstream tasks.
Senior: 5–8 years; hands-on Client/Server and Expanse; leads pharmacy module and clinical decision support design; leads a project workstream.
Principal: 8+ years; leads medication management application strategy across the system; mentors analysts; leads program-level initiatives.

Responsibilities

Consistently supports and communicates the Mission, Vision, and Values of Nexus Health Systems
Upholds the Standards of conduct and corporate compliance
Demonstrates honest behavior in all matters. To the best of the employee’s knowledge and understanding, complies with all Federal and State laws and regulations.
Maintains the privacy and security of all confidential and protected health information. Uses and discloses only that information which is necessary to perform the function of the job.
Adheres to all Nexus Health Systems policies on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), designed to prevent or detect unauthorized disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI)
Collaborates effectively with colleagues and other departments to ensure seamless service delivery.
Serves as a primary point of contact for Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Staff on MEDITECH pharmacy and medication management functionality, enhancements, and issue resolution, including help desk escalation support for all Nexus facilities.
Serves as a pharmacy applications lead on the MEDITECH Expanse implementation, partnering with the implementation partner, Pharmacy leadership, Nursing, Medical Staff, and the IT project team.
Leads pharmacy dictionary review, mapping, and standardization across all facilities, including drug formulary, order sets, administration schedules, IV and compounding records, and dose range rules; validates converted pharmacy data.
Develops and executes unit, integrated, and parallel test scripts for pharmacy modules and interfaces, including end-to-end medication order, verification, dispensing, and administration scenarios; supports user acceptance testing.
Supports cutover planning, go-live command center coverage at all campuses, and post-live stabilization of medication workflows.
Configures, maintains, and troubleshoots MEDITECH pharmacy applications and dictionaries in both Client/Server and Expanse environments.
Maintains the drug formulary and drug database content First Databank, including new drug additions, NDC updates, therapeutic classifications, and clinical decision support rules.
Configures and maintains pediatric and weight-based dosing rules, dose range checking, allergy and interaction alerting, and alert thresholds in collaboration with Pharmacy and Medical Staff, balancing patient safety with alert fatigue.
Builds and maintains medication order sets, protocols, and standing orders in Provider Order Management for the populations served across Nexus programs, including psychotropic and behavioral medication regimens, seizure management, ventilator and pulmonary care, enteral nutrition, and Prader-Willi Syndrome dietary protocols.
Maintains eMAR, Bedside Medication Verification, and barcode configuration to support closed-loop medication administration.
Supports controlled substance workflows, including reconciliation reporting and discrepancy tracking, in coordination with Pharmacy and Compliance.
Builds, tests, and maintains pharmacy interfaces, including automated Pyxis dispensing cabinets, wholesaler ordering, drug database updates, and any contracted pharmacy services.
Designs, builds, and maintains pharmacy and medication safety reports using NPR Report Writer (Client/Server) and Report Designer with Data Repository SQL (Expanse).
Delivers reporting for controlled substance reconciliation, medication administration timeliness and overrides, high-alert and psychotropic medication utilization, drug cost and utilization by facility and program, and regulatory and accreditation requirements.
Leads discovery sessions with Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical Staff to define requirements prior to build; documents current- and future-state medication workflows and process maps.
Reviews, tests, and educates users on MEDITECH updates, priority packs, and version enhancements affecting pharmacy and medication modules.
Develops and delivers end-user training and train-the-trainer sessions for pharmacy and nursing users; creates education and go-live rollout plans.
Provides regular status, schedule, and effort estimates to project and IT leadership.
Serves as project team lead for pharmacy applications (Senior and Principal levels).
Maintains the accuracy and reliability of the closed-loop medication process so that patients, many of whom are children and adolescents on complex or high-risk regimens, receive the right medication, dose, and route on time.
Configures clinical decision support to catch dosing, allergy, and interaction errors before they reach the patient, with particular attention to pediatric weight-based dosing.
Responds promptly to medication system issues, recognizing that pharmacy application downtime or errors directly affect nursing staff and patient safety at the bedside.
Supports pharmacy and nursing workflows that minimize medication delays during admission, transfer between Nexus facilities, and discharge.
Ensures all activities adhere to healthcare regulations and organizational policies.
Participates in quality improvement initiatives to enhance service delivery.
Promotes a culture of patient safety which results in the identification and reduction of unsafe practices.
Submits all configuration changes through the Clinical Technology Governance Board change control process; maintains build documentation and an audit trail for pharmacy system changes.
Ensures pharmacy system configuration supports DEA, Texas State Board of Pharmacy, The Joint Commission, and CMS medication management requirements.
Supports medication error and near-miss investigations with system data and workflow analysis; participates in the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee as the applications representative.
Monitors pharmacy modules for proper utilization and data integrity; reports findings and action plans to leadership.
Completes annual education requirements.
Maintains competency, as evidenced by completion of competency validation requirements.
Maintains competency and knowledge of current standards of practice, trends, and developments.
Participates in relevant workshops, seminars, and continuing education courses to stay current with industry trends, healthcare regulations, and best practices.
Maintains current knowledge of MEDITECH Expanse release content, medication safety standards (ISMP, ASHP), pharmacy regulatory changes, and MEDITECH user community resources such as MUSE.
Promotes stewardship of hospital resources while ensuring quality patient care.
Supports accurate pharmacy charge capture and revenue integrity through correct drug charge configuration and reconciliation with the charge description master.
Provides drug cost and utilization reporting to support formulary management, purchasing decisions, and budgeting.
Identifies opportunities to reduce waste, manual effort, and rework through system optimization.
Performs other duties as assigned.