Manager, Medication Access Strategy and Operations (Pharmacist)

Visante Consulting•St. Paul, MN

7d•Remote

About The Position

The Pharmacist Manager, Medication Access Strategy and Operations provides strategic, operational, and clinical leadership for all medication access services, including prior authorization processes for medications billed through pharmacy and medical benefits, patient assistance programs, and coordination with multi-disciplinary care teams. This role is accountable for ensuring high-quality, compliant, and efficient medication access services that support optimal patient outcomes, client deliverables, and organizational goals. As a key leader within the organization, the Pharmacist Manager, Medication Access Strategy and Operations serves as the primary liaison among the Medications Access Team Supervisors and Medication Access team, clinic and pharmacy leadership, providers, clinical staff, payers, and external partners. The Manager drives collaboration across stakeholders to remove barriers to therapy, improve patient access to medications, and ensure timely, coordinated, patient-centered care across multiple service lines. The Pharmacist Manager, Medication Access Strategy and Operations provides subject matter expertise in medication access, formulary processes, utilization review, and affordability strategies, incorporating clinical knowledge to lead medication access operations, specialty pharmacy clinic launches, and site of care initiatives. Key responsibilities include leading and optimizing workflows for medication benefit investigation, insurance authorizations, and proactively communicating clinical and coverage-related challenges and resolution strategies to the care team. The Manager provides direct leadership and oversight of the Medication Access Team Supervisor and daily team operations, establishes performance expectations, ensures timely service delivery and follow up, and promotes a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and exceptional customer service. The Manager maintains strong, collaborative relationships with clinic leadership by providing regular updates on operational performance, trends, and opportunities for improvement.

Requirements

BS or PharmD from an accredited college of pharmacy.
Minimum 3 years of pharmacy experience working with healthcare providers on strategic and operational initiatives.
Minimum 1 year of experience in health system pharmacy or specialty pharmacy setting.
Minimum 1 year of supervisory or personnel management experience.
Active, unrestricted pharmacist license (RPh) in at least one state; ability to obtain additional licensure as needed.
Demonstrated leadership capability with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build, manage, and sustain effective client and stakeholder relationships.
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and complex initiatives simultaneously, effectively balancing competing demands while meeting deadlines with sound judgment and urgency.
Highly effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver clear, professional communications and presentations to internal leaders, clients, and external partners.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex operational challenges, identify root causes, and implement practical, solution-oriented improvements.
Ability to make sound, timely decisions based on data analysis, experience, risk assessment, and organizational priorities.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel) to support reporting, communication, performance management, and presentations.
Experience working with electronic medical record (EMR) systems and healthcare technology platforms to support clinical and operational workflows.
Ability to establish credibility, build trust, and foster effective collaboration across interdisciplinary teams and organizational boundaries.

Nice To Haves

Previous consulting, clinic, or client-facing experience.
Previous experience using Epic Compass Rose Specialty Pharmacy patient management program.

Responsibilities

Provides direction, oversight, and accountability for all medication access and affordability services across multiple service lines, driving consistency and quality across multiple care settings.
Recruits, hires, trains, and develops high-performing supervisors and team members to support operational excellence and sustained service delivery, establishing clear performance expectations and leading a culture of accountability.
Collaborates with specialty pharmacy operations and clinical pharmacists to ensure clinically appropriate medication utilization, distribution, access strategies, and patient support.
Contributes to early adoption and implementation of advanced medication access technologies and strategies to optimize patient care.
Establishes, monitors, and reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational trends, using data and insights to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and implement enhancement strategies.
Leads the development and continuous refinement of standardized processes for client referral workflows, benefit investigations, prior authorizations, documentation, tracking, and communication to ensure quality, consistency, and scalability.
Serves as primary liaison between internal teams and external stakeholders, including clinic leadership, pharmacy leadership, providers, payers, and partners, maintaining consistent and transparent communication to foster strong, aligned partnerships.
Executes site-of-care optimization strategies across home infusion, medical benefit, and pharmacy benefit medications, ensuring clinically appropriate utilization
Provides clinical leadership for high-impact therapeutic areas (e.g., HIV and other complex disease states), including support for clinic-administered medications across benefits.
Oversees and contributes to clinical utilization review processes, including medical necessity evaluations, appeals, and reimbursement pathways.
Serves as internal expert in medication access, affordability services, specialty pharmacy services, and retail pharmacy operations, contributing to organizational knowledge and capability development.
Models and reinforces exceptional customer service in all interactions ensuring professionalism, responsiveness, and a patient-centered approach.
Supports client development, service expansion, and project deliverables through the development of frameworks, best practices, and innovative approaches that enhance value, performance, and sustainability.
Builds and sustains trust-based relationships with internal teams and client stakeholders through credibility, expertise, and consistent follow through to support long term success.