Chief Pharmacy Officer

University of Miami Health System (UHealth) seeks an inaugural Chief Pharmacy Officer as the system continues to grow and expand in South Florida. 

OVERVIEW

The Chief Pharmacy Officer of the University of Miami Health System (UHealth) oversees the overarching planning and operational management of pharmacy services of all hospitals, clinics, and sites for UHealth. The Chief Pharmacy Officer ensures the development and implementation of strategies, operating systems, procedures, and controls that are consistent with our mission, vision, principles and goals for teaching, research, and clinical care. The Chief Pharmacy Officer focuses on the operational excellence of UHealth pharmacy services and oversees and ensures institutional compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads and administers pharmacy services for UHealth in alignment with UHealth’s strategic goals and operational needs. 
• Ensures UHealth’s strategic planning leverages pharmacy services across the continuum of care to improve health outcomes. 
• Ensures pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical benefit designs focus on total health through the formulary, with procurement driven by clinical efficacy. 
• Collaborates with healthcare executives within and external to UHealth to foster and build cross-functional relationships and to align interdisciplinary services with initiatives such as quality metrics and financial performance. 
• Advances patient care services through the promotion of pharmacy best practices, including by the creation and adoption of emerging technologies and innovative services.
• Develops, evaluates, and proposes clinical and research pharmacy programs to enhance current and future pharmacy services throughout UHealth. Integrates and standardizes pharmacy services throughout UHealth, while focusing on quality improvement practices. Supports an environment of transparency, shared and contextualized decision-making, and trust.
• Leads constructive multidisciplinary partnerships with physician services, nursing, research, finance, and other key groups. Provides leadership and guidance in the development of performance metrics and the measurement reporting process for pharmacy services. Increases patient satisfaction, improves efficiency of operations, and positively impacts the bottom line and overall patient experience across UHealth. 
• Collaborates with UHealth’s Chief Financial Officer, hospital administrators, and departments to construct a budget for pharmacy services, including short-term and long-term forecasting, business plan development, and other financial goals. 
• Develops, manages, and monitors budgets for pharmacy services, and provides active financial stewardship of multiple, complex pharmacy contracts for pharmacy sites. 
• Creates and executes a strategy for expansion of pharmacy services to new sites, and for the growth of new and existing service lines. 
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local pharmacy-related laws, regulations, and rules, including but not limited to CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), the Joint Commission, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the Florida Department of Health, and other regulatory bodies. Maintains knowledge of industry trends and local/state/federal legislation to manage and reduce legal risks.
• Ensures internal control oversight, safeguarding of assets, compliance with University policies and procedures, reliability of internal and external reporting, and efficiency and effectiveness of operations. 
• Creates an effective control environment, conducts risk assessment, implements and monitors controls. 

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The following goals and objectives have been identified as priorities for this position:

• Successful launch and operation of UHealth Doral (160,000 sq. ft., opened September 2024) and UHealth SoLé Mia (370,000 sq. ft., opening mid 2025), which will further grow our footprint. These will be in-house pharmacy operations including the first UHealth retail pharmacy at SoLe Mia.
• Review and manage vendor relationships to ensure that pricing remains competitive and pharmacy revenue is captured.
• Standardize all pharmacies across the health system. 

DESIRED OUTCOMES

• Success will be defined by standardizing all pharmacy processes and practices across all UM pharmacies and satellite locations.  
• Success will be looking for opportunities to build the pharmacy program, meeting cost saving goals as well as greater revenue goals by ensuring that we have the best contracts and are maximizing our buying potential with 340B, contract pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, or WAC pricing agreements working with the Supply Chain team. 

As further highlighted below, this critical position requires a dynamic, passionate, entrepreneurial, and experienced pharmacy leader with a proven track record across the entire continuum of care including inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory, regulatory, etc.

REQUIREMENTS

Education:  Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree strongly preferredCertification and 

Licensing:  Active or ability to obtain a Florida Pharmacist License required.

Experience:  Minimum 10 years of relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes:

• Knowledge of business and management principles.
• Ability to direct, manage, implement, and evaluate department operations.
• Ability to establish department goals, and objectives that support the strategic plan.
• Ability to effectively plan, delegate and/or supervise the work of others.
• Ability to lead, motivate, develop and train others.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

• Significant and successful pharmacy leadership experience at a large/complex academic medical center(s) or health system(s): Experience advancing excellence in highly matrixed environments where achievements are realized through trust, shared purpose and mutually beneficial partnerships. 
• Proof of collaboration to foster robust working relationships with internal and external partners: Managing vendors, relationship-building, and partnering with internal teams (IT, Supply Chain, etc.) to drive results.
• National reputation for pharmaceutical knowledge and accomplishments: An outstanding track record of recognition – being a subject-matter-expert who peers turn to for guidance and direction.
• Mastery of 340B Drug Pricing Program and other regulatory standards: History of ensuring compliance of all regulations and maximizing 340B capture.
• Competence creating and growing pharmacy service lines: Led growth by openings new pharmacies, expanding services, integration, innovation, etc. 
• Superior financial acumen: Ability to budget/plan/forecast and conceive and operationalize appropriate responses to budget variances.
• Commitment to inclusive excellence: A record of accomplishment in retention, recruitment, and development of outstanding staff, lighting the way and championing equity for all.