Director, Patient Services

Ardelyx is a publicly traded commercial biopharmaceutical company founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA® (tenapanor) and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor). Ardelyx has agreements for the development and commercialization of tenapanor outside of the U.S. Kyowa Kirin commercializes PHOZEVEL® (tenapanor) for hyperphosphatemia in Japan. A New Drug Application for tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia has been approved in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada. As a member of the Market Access Team, this position is responsible for managing and overseeing the Ardelyx patient access and affordability programs by supporting patient-centric teams and leading the day-to-day operations. Success in this position will focus on enhancing and optimizing the patient and prescriber experience during the entire treatment cycle, from initial prescription through to the maintenance phase of therapy.  This position is responsible for working cross-functionally with all external vendors and internal stakeholders (i.e., Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Trade, Compliance, Commercial Operations, and Legal) to support impactful strategies for patient services growth and development. The role also functions as a subject matter expert on reimbursement support services, stakeholder engagement, and will lead and manage the Ardelyx patient services hub and supporting vendor partners. This position reports to the Vice President of Access Strategies and Patient Services.
Responsibilities:

• Lead the implementation (i.e., business rule development, team training, workflow mapping, etc.) of patient access programs as well as lead the day-to-day operations of the reimbursement hub with a focus on operational excellence and high-quality service 
• Design, on-board, and lead a team of direct reports responsible for supporting the Patient Services Model 
• Maintain and uphold key performance indicators (KPI) for team members and stakeholders by holding all accountable through regular business reviews, team building exercises, training, and daily KPI reviews 
• Create a culture that aligns with Ardelyx’s core values (passionate, fearless, dedicated, and inclusive) through effective management of internal team members and external partnerships 
• Periodically review, maintain, and ensure compliance with all standard operating procedures (SOP) and business rules related to patient support services. 

• Monitor volume trends and ensure adequate staffing is available to meet all patient service objectives and goals 
• Provide subject matter expertise on all patient services related topics by serving as a resource to all stakeholders (i.e. field sales team, prescribers, patients, marketing, etc.). Escalate any concerns to the appropriate parties where applicable 
• Partner with Ardelyx sales leadership and field sales teams to ensure best-in-class patient services and serve as primary liaison between the field and Patient Services partners 
• Stay current with industry trends and advancements in patient services to ensure Ardelyx remains competitive and innovative
• Ensure the tight integration of program development and continuous improvement of reimbursement hub operational processes and systems in order to deliver exceptional customer experience 
• Work closely with Trade & Distribution to ensure pharmacies within distribution network effectively address reimbursement needs of both patients and prescribers 
• Work with pertinent internal and external stakeholders to develop, implement, and maintain outreach programs to assist with adherence and improve patient engagement 
• Support the annual brand planning process with data driven reimbursement insights by demonstrating accountability and leadership to effectively and efficiently manage external partners and vendors performance 

Qualifications:

• B.A/B.S. or advanced degree within business or healthcare strongly preferred (PharmD, ARNP, PA, RN or MBA) 
• 9 - 12 years of experience within Patient Access Services (hub/call center), healthcare operations, and/or reimbursement services. Other backgrounds with related experience in reimbursement support, market access, or healthcare will be considered. Pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred 
• 5+ years of supervisory or managerial experience required, including managing remote teams and external vendors 
• Strong functional knowledge of health insurance and benefits (i.e. Medicare Part D, commercial and Medicaid) with a solid understanding of insurance eligibility, benefit verification, prior authorization processes, reimbursement coverage, appealing insurance den