Senior Clinical Pharmacist - Behavioral Health & Recovery Services (Open & Promotional)

Senior Clinical Pharmacist

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) is seeking a Senior Clinical Pharmacist to promote safe, evidence-based, clinically appropriate, and cost-effective medication use across behavioral health services.

Under the direction of the Pharmacy Manager, the Senior Clinical Pharmacist plans, coordinates, conducts, and evaluates pharmacy utilization review and quality assurance (URQA) activities, with an emphasis on behavioral health, psychiatric pharmacy, and substance use pharmacotherapy.

This position combines clinical expertise, data-informed quality improvement, and collaboration with prescribers and other health care professionals. The Senior Clinical Pharmacist provides complex clinical consultation and drug information, supports formulary and medication-use initiatives, develops clinical guidance and educational resources, and identifies opportunities to improve medication safety, access, quality, and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Clinical Pharmacist will be responsible for, but not limited to:

• Plan and conduct prospective, concurrent, and retrospective drug utilization reviews and medication use evaluations (MUEs) to assess medication use, prescribing practices, and clinical outcomes.
• Analyze medication utilization, prescribing patterns, costs, prior authorization trends, medication safety events, and adherence to established clinical criteria and guidelines.
• Develop and monitor URQA measures, reports, and other tools to evaluate medication quality, safety, access, utilization, and cost and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluate high-risk, high-cost, and high-utilization medications and recommend strategies to promote safe, effective, and appropriate medication use.
• Develop and evaluate formulary and medication-use criteria, therapeutic interchange criteria, clinical guidelines, protocols, and related policies based on current evidence and best practices.
• Evaluate adverse drug reactions and medication safety trends and support the development, implementation, and follow-up of corrective and quality improvement actions.
• Lead and support Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee activities, including formulary reviews, new drug monographs, meeting materials, recommendations, and implementation of approved actions.
• Support formulary management, prior authorization, pharmacy benefit processes, medication access, and cost-saving initiatives through utilization analysis and quality review.
• Provide evidence-based clinical consultation and drug information to prescribers and other health care professionals, with an emphasis on psychiatric pharmacotherapy and medication-assisted treatment.
• Provide technical guidance, training, and education to pharmacy staff, providers, psychiatry residents and interns, and other learners.
• Provide medication reconciliation, medication counseling, and education to clients, as needed.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary committees, workgroups, and clinical partners to advance medication safety, quality, appropriate utilization, and clinical pharmacy initiatives.

Note: The eligible list created from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future permanent, extra help and/or temporary vacancies.

Qualifications

Licensure/Certification: Possession of a license and current registration to practice as a Registered Pharmacist issued by the California State Board of Pharmacy. Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

Education: Graduation from a School of Pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm. D.) or equivalent.

Experience: Three years of recent full-time clinical pharmacist experience in behavioral health, psychiatric pharmacy, ambulatory care, or a comparable setting. Qualifying experience must include clinical medication management, formulary management, medication use evaluation, drug information, pharmacy benefit support or related clinical pharmacy services. Experience must also demonstrate the ability to lead clinical pharmacy projects, provide work direction or training, coordinate services, or manage complex clinical pharmacy initiatives.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, methods and procedures used in the practice of pharmacy and in the delivery of pharmacy services in a hospital and/or clinic setting.
• Principles, practices, trends and technological developments in the area of pharmacology.
• Applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards and safety guidelines.
• Functions of pharmacy services and the interrelationships of the various disciplines in the health services field.
• Cost-effective drug therapies.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and use of computer systems and applications.
• Clinical practices, procedures and techniques in the area of pharmacology.

Skill/Ability to:

• Develop and maintain effective programs and systems related to clinically and cost-effective pharmacy services.
• Train staff in work procedures and provide technical and programmatic assistance to staff and subcontractors.
• Administer and coordinate clinically and cost-effective pharmacy programs.
• Analyze, interpret and apply various regulations and requirements.
• Analyze a wide variety of moderate to complex operational problems and make effective operational and/or procedural recommendations.
• Use sound independent judgment to make decisions and determine appropriate courses of action.
• Work effectively with a wide range of health professionals and the public.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Plan and organize work.