Pharmacy IT Specialist (Hybrid)

Overview

At Houston Methodist, the Pharmacy IT Specialist is responsible for providing and coordinating pharmaceutical care to the patients of Houston Methodist through medication use evaluations, drug policy development, and continuous quality management activities related to his/her specialty focus area designed to improve operational efficiency and patient safety.The Pharmacy IT Specialist designs or customizes software and leads quality assurance processes that promote efficiency and improvement of business processes as part of an operational team to support medium to large scale projects. Plans and participates in staff development and coordinates intradepartmental quality management and performance improvement initiatives related to the respective specialty areas of focus. Supports all users of application systems, timely implementation of and ongoing maintenance of applications, and provides the opportunity for enhanced user productivity in a culture dedicated to quality and safety.

Houston Methodist Standard

PATIENT AGE GROUP(S) AND POPULATION(S) SERVEDRefer to departmental "Scope of Service" and "Provision of Care" plans, as applicable, for description of primary age groups and populations served by this job for the respective HM entity.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

Responsibilities

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Works closely with Information Systems, Pharmacy staff and other hospital departments to understand system programming requirements, capabilities and limitations, as well as to implement requested ordering and decision support tools.

• Promotes a positive work environment and leads the team to be dynamic and a focused work unit that actively helps one other to achieve optimal results.

• Collaborates with other health care professionals as needed for problem resolution and/or achievement of identified patient specific goals. Role models to team members effective communication skills, assisting in their development of such skills.

• Develops educational materials and provides educational programs for the pharmacy staff and other hospital personnel. Supports preceptors for students from the affiliated colleges of pharmacy and/or pharmacy residents.

• Communicates regularly with pharmacy management and other areas that interact with Pharmacy regarding personnel issues, quality improvement initiatives, and regulatory compliance matters. Effectively implements protocols and objectives with team members to result in optimization of staff performance, teamwork, patient safety, and customer service.

• Regularly communicates with vendors and consultant partners and maintains understanding of system advances by participating in solution user tools.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Manages the development, implementation, training, evaluation and maintenance of clinical informatics projects. Coordinates daily workload fluctuations, recommending changes as appropriate for work output.

• Performs accurate build, testing and support for key applications. Participates in on call and Change Advisory Board (CAB), including on call responsibilities.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates as a member of system committee council focused on patient safety and clinical practices. Identifies and helps to resolve operational and c