Pharmacy Technician Specialist-Specialty Pharmacy, Full-time Days (rotating day shifts)

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmacy Technician Specialist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. Under the direction of a registered pharmacist, performs all technical duties associated with the daily operation of the dispensing areas; performs prescription-related, unit dose-related, and sterile product-related functions; performs manufacturing procedures that have been documented in the Department records. Our specialty pharmacy department includes a variety of work areas for Pharmacy Technician Specialists, and primary work areas may change based on patient care and departmental needs. This is a fully onsite position, expected to regularly support both our fulfillment operations and call center areas within specialty pharmacy, with rotating day shift scheduling associated.

Requirements

High School diploma or GED equivalent
Active Illinois Pharmacy Technician License (IDFPR)
Pharmacy Technician licenses issued after 12/31/07 must have either CERTIFIED or STUDENT designation by their second license renew in accordance with Section 9 of the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act
Licensed Technicians prior to 1/1/2008 certification requirement must meet department skill level
Specialty Pharmacy: Certified Pharmacy Technician through PTCB or ExCPT through NHA
1-2 years’ technician experience
Previous experience as a Pharmacy Technician in a hospital or outpatient setting
Excellent critical thinking skills, decisive judgement, and the ability to work with minimal supervision

Nice To Haves

Minimum 5 years’ technician experience

Responsibilities

Follows process of receiving, verifying, and stocking drugs, controlled substances, and supplies
Prints daily ABC invoices and pulls out any dropship or alternate D/C received; separates any controlled substance and have 222 printed to receive in CSM
Generates reports for cycle counting the stockroom and refrigerators, printing expiration report
Oversees expiring medication process
Collaborates with Procurement/Supply Chain to maintain appropriate inventory par levels/drug inventories; communicates inventory problems to leadership/Procurement
Rectifies issues with receipt of orders, back orders, shipping errors, and incorrect pricing
Takes appropriate and timely action on drug recalls; communicates key information to leadership
Coordinates and effectively communicates with management, co-workers, customers, and other healthcare professionals regarding changes to workflows, updates, backorder, and new drug information when/where appropriate
Maintains purchasing records including invoices, purchase orders, catalogs, and historical records
Generates pick lists and labels as required
Forecast daily, weekly medication doses and supplies needed and communicates with Inventory Technician
Communicates with Inventory Technician any out-of-stock medications
Identify, research, and resolve issues and consumer complaints
Possess working knowledge of participating third-party payors and their requirements
Establish and maintain open communication with pharmacy operations analysts regarding third-party billing issues and centralized procurement team regarding ordering and inventory matters
Assists with prescription audits as needed
Troubleshoot and resolve billing rejections and subsequently rebill claims to appropriate carriers for all commercial, federal, and state insurance plans
Verify and accurately update patient demographic information in appropriate system(s)
Document patient’s insurance information in appropriate system(s)
Refer and document any clinical questions regarding prescriptions, drug information, or health conditions requiring follow-up to a pharmacist
Utilize case management and pharmacy software systems to schedule prescription refills and adjudicate claims
Coordinate prescription orders accurately and appropriately, including, but not limited to, “ready at” date, time, and shipping/delivery method
Perform point-of-sale functions
Understand and adhere to drug specific Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirement and identify what is needed for REMS fulfillment.
Complete any REMS forms and authorizations required from the pharmacy.
Print drug-specific medication guides to be dispensed with prescription when needed
Complete prescription return-to-stock reports in a timely manner to meet compliance requirements
Access, input, and retrieve information on pharmacy computer system to create labels for prescriptions
Possess thorough understanding of the processes and procedures for shipping patient’s medications and can independently resolve any complications
Spend ≤ 5% of time on quality management of the program
Directly enrolls eligible patients into manufacturer patient assistance co-pay programs
Educate pharmacy staff regarding third-party billing policies and procedures as needed
Answers and triages patient, provider, and third-party calls to appropriate individuals adhering to phone scripts in a courteous and professional manner
Contact payers for lost medication, replacement, or vacation overrides
Performs the duties and responsibilities of a Pharmacy Technician at advanced level.
Leads performance improvement initiatives
Liaison between pharmacy and other departments
Assists with/coordinates pharmacy technician schedule, services, prioritizing assignments and workflow, and promoting situational decision making/problem solving
Fosters a team environment by providing education and training
Maintains documentation of completion for media fill and fingertip testing
Participates in site meetings (i.e. Drug Shortage, huddles, staff meetings)
Responsible for controlled substance receiving, reconciliation, discrepancy tracking, and investigations
Performs minor repairs of ADS machines
Participates in projects as assigned by manager
Handles recalls, crash carts monitoring, and kitcheck ordering
Troubleshooting
Restocks
Performs Tech-Check-Tech (i.e. automated dispensing cabinet (ADC) runs/controlled substance in ADC; barcode scanned pills, pre-mixed IV bags)
Other duties as assigned