Job Description

Specialist – Medication Management and Pharmacy Quality

Job Description
The Specialist – Medication Management and Pharmacy Quality articulates the direction for an optimal medication management system. S/he develops and coordinates an ongoing medication management and pharmacy quality program to ensure compliance with accreditation standards and national regulations. S/he is an expert in all aspects of medication management and pharmacy quality, and provides leadership and direction, in partnership with the Director of Pharmacy and the medication management stakeholders, in assuring the highest possible quality of medication management systems through continuous monitoring, review and improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities
Key Decision: designs how medication management systems will be monitored, reviewed and improved.

Impact: directly affects the level of medication safety and quality delivered to our patients.

Key Decision: Along with the Director of Pharmacy designs and oversees the implementation of medication management initiatives and support the development of certain Clinical Decision Support tools.

Impact: directly affects the level of medication safety and quality delivered to our patients.

MEDICATION MANAGEMENT & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT:

Serves as an authoritative resource on medication management for Sidra and quality improvement for the Department of Pharmacy.

Analyzes current practices that contribute to medication errors and takes proactive steps for prevention. Facilitates process and system changes to reduce the likelihood of error recurrence.

Collects, reviews, and analyzes the organization’s medication-use, medication error, and continuous quality improvement data. Uses appropriate data analysis techniques to identify needed improvements and develop high-leverage error-reduction strategies.

Coordinates the development and review of Pharmacy Policies and Procedures.

Monitors Pharmacy performance through key performance indicators and coordinates performance improvement activities.

Identifies best practices for medication management and pharmacy quality on an ongoing basis.

Formulates medication management educational sessions for Nurses, Prescribers, Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals based on accreditation standards and best practices.

Monitors compliance with proper medication control, safety, and security standards in Pharmacy and patient care areas.

Develops effective methods for spreading best medication management practices throughout the organization.

Consults with and advises specific clinical teams and the health system as a whole on opportunities and strategies to optimize medication management and use.

Responsible for routinely presenting and reporting data relating to medication management and pharmacy quality to a variety of groups internal and external (when needed) to Sidra.

LEADERSHIP:

Serves as the Lead of the medication management and use group, whose duties may include setting the agenda, reviewing general and specific survey reports, and examining the progress of compliance with medication management standards and regulations.

CLINICAL:

The Specialist – Medication Management and Pharmacy Quality supports when needed with provision of patient care such as:

Checks and verifies that medication reconciliation is completed on admission and discharge.

Reviews patients’ medication orders for efficacy and safety, and makes recommendations to prescriber if changes are required.

Provides drug information to healthcare professionals, including but not limited to prescribers and nurses.

Performs therapeutic drug level monitoring and makes adjustments for ensuring patient safety.

Consults with peers and supervisors when assistance is needed in choosing the most appropriate drug therapy.

Participates in drug use evaluation and drug protocol management.

Assesses the status of the patient’s health problems and determines whether the prescribed medications are optimally meeting the patient’s needs and goals of care.

Performs Drug-Drug, Drug-Lab, Drug Food and Drug-Disease Monitoring and offers alternatives when applicable.

Ensures continuity of care between the acute and ambulatory patient care environments.

Documents all clinical activities and interventions accurately and completely, as per policy and procedure.

COMPETENCY:

Maintains knowledge of trends and developments in the healthcare quality field through continuous professional development: reading articles, journals, and related material; attending appropriate seminars, conferences, or educational programs; and using information from the Institute of Medicine (IoM), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), and similar organizations.

Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with all aspects of the medication-use system, including procurement, prescribing, transcribing, preparation, distribution, administration, documentation, and monitoring.

Displays strong analytical skills and an understanding of statistics, population data, and the concepts of risk and prioritization.

Has knowledge of performance-improvement methodology and tools, including root cause analysis (RCA), failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), cause-and effect diagramming, process-flow mapping, and methods for monitoring projects and measuring the progress of performance-improvement initiatives.

Has understanding of concepts and application of safety principles, continuous quality, improvement, and human factors engineering.

Demonstrates excellent communication and customer service skills on a consistent basis.

OPERATIONAL:

Integrates medication management and pharmacy quality into orientation and training for all healthcare who participate in the medication-use process.

REGULATORY:

Assists Pharmacy Management in complying with the rules, regulations and standards of JCI, MoPH, and other relevant regulatory agencies.

Complies in all activities with accreditation, legal, regulatory, and safety requirements for a specific practice setting.

Completes all required Continuing Education activities to maintain licensure to practice as a Pharmacist in Qatar, per the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP).

Adheres to Sidra’s standards as they appear in the Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policies

Adheres to and promotes Sidra’s Values

In view of the evolving needs and opportunities within Sidra, this position may be required to perform other duties as assigned and reporting relationships may vary.

Qualifications

ESSENTIAL

PREFERRED

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

OR

Master’s Degree in Pharmacy with Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy (PGDipClinicPharm)

All degrees must have been obtained from an ACPE accredited college of Pharmacy or equivalent

Experience

Residency or Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) certification in field of practice + 3 years or no residency/BPS certification + 6 years’ experience as a licensed/registered Pharmacist after graduation from primary degree in a recognized hospital of which at least 4 years in medication management and pharmacy quality improvement

Experience in JCI accreditation.

Exceptions to the experience requirement may be granted for Qatari nationals (internal and external candidates), with a reduction of up to two (2) years. [For a DHP licensable role, the experience requirements mandated by the Department of Healthcare Professions, along with the defined scope of practice, must be strictly followed.]

Certification and Licensure

Licensed in Pharmacy in country of origin

Obtained Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) certification

Obtain State of Qatar Pharmacy License after on boarding.

Professional Membership

Member of professional hospital pharmacy association in country of origin.