Summary
Clinical Pharmacy Specialists are responsible for targeted interdisciplinary programs and clinical services and ensure pharmaceutical care programs are appropriately integrated throughout the Baptist Health system. In these clinical roles, Clinical Pharmacy Specialists participate in all necessary aspects of the medication-use system while supporting comprehensive and individualized pharmaceutical care in their assigned areas. They also serve as clinical resources and liaisons to other departments, hospital personnel, and external groups. In their role, they may conduct clinical research and practice advancement projects, as well as patient care quality and regulatory compliance initiatives designed to improve medication-use processes or pharmacy practice.
The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – OPAT/COpAT will serve as the subject matter expert for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) and complex outpatient antimicrobial therapy (COpAT) services across the health system. This role is responsible for supporting safe transitions of care for patients requiring antimicrobial therapy after discharge, including collaboration with infectious diseases providers, care management, infusion services, ambulatory clinics, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and community pharmacies. The specialist will support the development, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of OPAT/COpAT workflows, monitoring programs, clinical pathways, and quality initiatives to improve patient safety, reduce readmissions, and optimize antimicrobial utilization.
Job Description:
Baptist Health is looking for a remote System Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Pharmacist) to join our Central Pharmacy team!
- Collaborates with the System Manager of Antimicrobial Stewardship, Infectious Diseases physicians, ambulatory leadership, care management, infusion services, and other interdisciplinary stakeholders to develop, implement, and maintain evidence-based OPAT/COpAT services throughout the health system.
- Assists with development and standardization of OPAT/COpAT workflows, clinical pathways, documentation standards, and monitoring processes across inpatient and ambulatory settings.
- Facilitates safe transitions of care for patients discharged on antimicrobial therapy through coordination with inpatient teams, ambulatory infusion centers, home infusion agencies, dialysis centers, skilled nursing facilities, and home health providers.
- Reviews antimicrobial regimens, laboratory monitoring plans, vascular access considerations, culture data, and duration of therapy recommendations to ensure safe and effective outpatient antimicrobial management.
- Monitors patients receiving OPAT/COpAT for therapeutic effectiveness, adverse drug events, laboratory abnormalities, drug interactions, adherence concerns, and line-related complications.
- Supports timely identification and intervention for patients at risk for antimicrobial-related complications, dosing errors, medication interactions, hospital readmission, or therapy failure.
- Contributes to the development and maintenance of OPAT/COpAT dashboards, quality metrics, operational metrics, and outcome reporting.
- Assists with regulatory and accreditation preparedness related to antimicrobial stewardship, ambulatory pharmacy services, and transitions of care.
- Works collaboratively with microbiology laboratory, infection prevention, care coordination, ambulatory clinics, and Epic support teams to optimize reporting, documentation, and clinical decision support tools related to OPAT/COpAT workflows.
- Demonstrates expertise in infectious diseases pharmacotherapy, outpatient antimicrobial management, transitions of care, and antimicrobial stewardship principles.
- Understands the workflow of front-line healthcare personnel involved in outpatient antimicrobial therapy management, including inpatient units, ambulatory clinics, infusion services, emergency departments, urgent care settings, and telehealth services.
- Collaborates with infectious diseases providers, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals to promote evidence-based antimicrobial utilization across OPAT/COpAT populations.
- Performs antimicrobial regimen reviews.
- Assists with formulary management and evaluation of outpatient antimicrobial agents, infusion therapies, and related medication-use processes.
- Participates in medication use evaluations (MUEs), quality improvement initiatives, formulary reviews, and development or revision of policies, protocols, and order sets related to OPAT/COpAT and antimicrobial stewardship.
- Provides clinical consultation regarding outpatient antimicrobial therapy, adverse drug events, laboratory interpretation, vascular access considerations, therapeutic drug monitoring, and antimicrobial transitions of care.
- Assists with management of antimicrobial shortages and identification of appropriate therapeutic alternatives for outpatient care settings.
- Supports optimization of Epic order sets, discharge workflows, laboratory monitoring documentation, and antimicrobial stewardship reporting tools.
- Coordinates and provides education to pharmacists, providers, nurses, case management personnel, infusion services, ambulatory staff, and learners regarding OPAT/COpAT best practices and antimicrobial stewardship principles.
- Develops and delivers presentations, competency assessments, educational materials, and process updates related to outpatient antimicrobial therapy management.
- Precepts pharmacy students and residents, as applicable.
- Participates in local, state, and national professional organizations and initiatives related to infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, ambulatory pharmacy practice, and OPAT/COpAT services.
Minimum Education and Training
Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy or Doctorate of Pharmacy required.
Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and Indiana Board of Pharmacy license or willing and eligible to achieve within 6 months of hire.
Board certified in their area of expertise or able to achieve within 12 months of hire. Must be one of the following qualifications:
Must satisfy at least one of the following:
Completion of PGY-2 ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Residency in a related area of expertise.
Completion of PGY-1 ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Residency and a minimum of 3 years of experience in a related area of expertise AND BPS board certification in that area of expertise as listed above at the time of application.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in a related area of expertise AND BPS board certification in that area of expertise as listed above at the time of application.
