Pharmacy Technician Navigator

Pharmacy Technician Navigator

Reports to Manager, Specialty Pharmacy Services. Under the supervision of a pharmacist and direction of a Pharmacy Technician Supervisor assists clinic-based care teams with ensuring timely patient access to medication therapy and improving patient adherence to therapy. Interacts effectively and compassionately with patients, families, and customers. Interacts effectively and professionally with other health care workers at all levels including, but not limited to, providers, nurses, pharmacists, and support personnel. Obtains accurate and necessary patient information, needed to process prescriptions, prior authorizations, financial assistance applications, and payment transactions. Accesses, inputs, and retrieves necessary information using multiple pharmacy system applications. Brown University Health employees are expected to successfully role model the organization's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence as these values guide our everyday actions with patients, customers and one another. In addition to our values, all employees are expected to demonstrate the core Success Factors which tell us how we work together and how we get things done. The core Success Factors include: Instill Trust and Value Differences Patient and Community Focus and Collaborate.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Works independently as an embedded member of a clinic team alongside providers, nurses, pharmacists, and support personnel.
• Exhibits a friendly, pleasant, and helpful nature demonstrating a strong customer service orientation.
• Establishes strong, trustworthy relationships with patients, families, and caregivers.
• Maintains and supports pharmacy interdepartmental relationships to ensure seamless transitions of patient care from clinic to pharmacy.
• Participates in the growth of the Brown University Health Pharmacy patient population through recruitment of ambulatory care patients.
• Educates patients and families on the features and values of Brown University Health Pharmacy services, including the Brown University Health Pharmacy Specialty Drug Patient Management Program (SDPMP).
• Protects and maintains patient confidentiality in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines.
• Collects patient personal information necessary for filling prescriptions, performing benefits investigations, completing prior authorizations and financial assistance applications.
• Enters pertinent patient data into the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and appropriate pharmacy applications to support organizational initiatives and ensure timely patient care.
• Navigates the EHR to effectively answer questions and provide documentation as needed for prior authorizations and financial assistance applications.
• Encourages patient retention through the development of individual relationships with assigned patients.
• Proactively contacts patients in-person, via phone, or other supervisor-approved modality to assess patient need for medication, including estimations of patient adherence such as medication supply on hand.
• Proactively identifies and resolves potential operational risks to patient adherence such as securing refill prescriptions and/or renewing prior authorizations and financial assistance.
• Serves as communication link for patients to the patient's pharmacy and the clinic care team and coordinates therapy delivery from the patient's pharmacy to the patient.
• Proactively identifies patients with clinical needs such as questions concerning medications and drug interactions and refers such patients to a pharmacist.
• Conducts a benefits investigation for all patients new to Navigator services and identifies coverage details that the patient or patient's representative is unable to provide.
• Interfaces with insurance companies to facilitate patient access to therapy.
• As a member of the clinic care team, successfully completes prior authorizations, including coordinating submission of appeals, up to and, including peer-to-peer conversations as needed.
• Accurately quotes anticipated medication costs to patients.
• Secures therapy related financial assistance for patients whenever possible including, but not limited to, manufacturer assistance programs and nationally recognized foundations.
• Refers patients to medication manufacturer assistance programs and/or aids with application to said programs when applicable.
• Refers patients to the Brown University Health Medication Access Program team as applicable.
• Secures medication refills, prior authorization renewals, and financial assistance renewals proactively.
• Assists pharmacists in identifying ancillary supplies necessary for select medications, including but not limited to sharps containers, needles/syringes, alcohol swabs, and bandages that may not have been prescribed for the patient.
• Supports accreditation maintenance, and payor and medication access through the documentation of required data points related to patient care and operations.
• Participates in quality assessment and improvement activities.
• Assists in identifying improvement opportunities and in the development of new processes.
• Participates in medication safety initiatives related to the Brown University Health Pharmacy and uses approved processes for reporting actual, prevented and near miss medication errors.
• Under the guidance of a pharmacist and direction of a Technician Supervisor, assists in training, onboarding, and supporting fellow staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Qualifications - Basic Knowledge:

• High school graduate or equivalent degree required.
• Completion of one to two years of college preferred.
• For Rhode Island based practice positions, maintains current unrestricted Pharmacy Technician II licensure and National Pharmacy Technician Certification (CPhT)
• For Massachusetts based practice positions, maintains current unrestricted Certified Pharmacy Technician licensure and National Pharmacy Technician Certification (CPhT).

Qualifications - Experience:

• Minimum two years of experience as a pharmacy technician.
• Commensurate experience in a related field (e.g., benefits management) may be considered in lieu of technician experience.
• Prior experience with specialty pharmacy services, patient recruitment, prior authorization management, and/or patient financial assistance programs strongly preferred.
• Must possess solid computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite, as well as email and calendar applications. Must be comfortable using internet web applications and multiple pharmacy system applications.
• Strong customer service presence and verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively interact with customers/patients, providers, nurses, and ancillary support staff required.
• Must have the ability to multi-task and reprioritize as needed while maintaining accuracy and service standards.
• Must obtain within 3 months of hire, and maintain no less than annually thereafter, Pharmacy Technician Navigator competency requirements, including disease state-specific training, accreditation updates, and other operational competencies as required.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

• Work may require extended periods of time spent standing and walking.
• Work requires the visual acuity and manual dexterity necessary to operate a personal computer and input data into the system using a typical keyboard and computer mouse to navigate screens on a computer monitor.
• Travel between affiliates or sites as needed.

Independent Action:

• Performs independently within department policies and practices.
• Refers specific complex problems to supervisor where clarification of departmental policies and procedures may be required.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None.