Advocacy

The RWJBarnabas Health Pharmacy Enterprise is an integrated part of the health care team. Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring safe, effective, and appropriate medication use for all patients.

  • Acute Care Service Line

In 2023, the Acute Care Service Line workload statistics include:

  • The team prevented more than 27,746 adverse reactions
  • The team intervened and prevented in excess of 91,781 medication errors from occurring
  • There were more than 28 million doses dispensed
  • The number of medication orders verified was more than 8.2 million
  • The median turn around time for Cerner sites to process a STAT order was 6.7 minutes
  • There was a 6.1 minute median turn around time to process a routine order at both Cerner and Epic sites
  • The pharmacists performed more than 1.1 million clinical activities
  • The pharmacists performed in excess of 125,631 laboratory assessments
  • The pharmacy technicians performed more than 115,643 activities
  • Performed greater than 30,636 Antibiotic Stewardship activities
  • More than 64,685 patients were seen directly by a pharmacist
  • More than 1,160 ambulatory activities performed by a pharmacist across the continuum of care

Members of our team were named to a state or national organization and editorial board leadership positions

ASHP

  • Business Development and System Integration Section Advisory Group
  • Pediatric Section Advisory Group Chair
  • PGY1 Program Reviewer
  • PGY2 Program Reviewer
  • Poster Reviewer
  • Standardize 4 Safety Pediatric Advisory Committee
  • Section of Pharmacy Practice Leaders Educational Steering

NJSHP

  • Annual Meeting Planning Committee Co-chair
  • Continuing Pharmacy Education Program Administrator
  • Director of Public Policy
  • Director of Social Media
  • Director of Technician Affairs
  • Educational affairs committee
  • Member & Abstract reviewer, Annual Meeting Planning Committee
  • Member, Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

ACCP

  • CritCare PRN Communications Committee
  • Fellow for Academic Leadership Fellowship Program
  • Emergency Medicine PRN – Media Committee Member Co-chair
  • Futures Grant Reviewer
  • Member, Research Affairs Committee
  • Organizer Professor Walk Rounds for Posters
  • Perioperative Care PRN Communication Board Member
  • PRN Secretary/Treasurer
  • PRN Research Committee Member
  • Relations Committee Member
  • Task Force

ACHE

  • Fellow

ACPE

  • Field reviewer for Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)

  • Annual Meeting Student Poster Competition Abstract Reviewer
  • Annual Meeting Program Committee Member
  • Annual Meeting Speaker/Topic Selection Subcommittee Member
  • Pharmacy Practice Section Faculty Mentoring Program Mentor
  • Laboratory Instructors Special Interest Group
    • Immediate Past Chair
    • Mentoring Program Mentor
    • Nominations Committee Chair
    • Resolutions Committee Chair
  • Self-Care Therapeutics/Nonprescription Medicines Special Interest Group Membership Task Force Member

American Pharmacists Association (APhA)

  • Contributed Papers Program Abstract Reviewer
  • Contributed Papers Program Poster Judge

Annals of Pharmacotherapy

  • Peer Reviewer

American Thoracic Society

  • Pharmacy Working Group Section Co-Chair

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) Subcommittee

  • Voting Member

Big Ten Academic Alliance – Pharmacy Assessment Collaborative (BTAA-PAC)

  • Member

Big Ten Academic Alliance – Skills-Based Education and Assessment Collaborative (BTAA S-BEAC)

  • Member

Board of Pharmacy Specialties

  • Critical Care Board Certification Exam study team member
  • Geriatric Pharmacy Specialty Council member

Breakpoint Working Group

  • Co-Chair

Coordinated Family Care (CFC)

  • Board of Directors

Current Pharmacology Reports

  • Section Editor

New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services

  • Member of Interagency Council on Osteoporosis

New Jersey Pharmacists Association

  • Membership Committee Member
  • New Jersey Delegate to APhA
  • Student Academy Steering Committee Chair

New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC)

  • NJRC Program Ambassador

Rho Chi Society

  • Chapter Awards Task Force Member
  • President
  • Student Executive Council Task Force Chair
  • Town Hall Task Force Member

Society of Critical Care Medicine

  • Abstract Reviewer
  • Board Appointment
  • Committee Member

Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP)

  • International Task Force Member
  • Reviewer – Antimicrobial Stewardship Certification Program

The Consultant Pharmacist

  • Editorial Boards

Trans-Atlantic Renal Council

  • Board of Trustees

The Acute Care Service Line consists of 511 pharmacists, 376 pharmacy technicians and more than 32 support staff. Our acute care pharmacy team is deployed in both centralized and decentralized staffing models. The inpatient decentralized model operates to verify orders on the patient care units, and attending rounds and counseling patients. The decentralized model is supported by computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE), automated dispensing cabinets (ADC) on the units, and bed-side barcode medication administration. Technicians support the decentralized pharmacists by restocking the ADCs and delivering non-stocked medications to the units from the central pharmacy. In the central pharmacy, the technicians assist pharmacists by answering phones, filling labels, compounding and picking medications, and performing deliveries.

Certifications in 2023

  • Thirteen teammates achieved Board Certification in 2023
  • There are currently 154 teammates who currently are board certified in one of the following and 33 teammates hold more than one of the following:
    • AAHIVP, AQCD, BC-ADM, BCCCP, BCCP, BCEMP, BCGP, BCIDP, BCNSP, BCOP, BCPP, BCPPS, BCPS, BCSCP, BCTXP, CACP, CHSE, CPhT, CSPT
  • The RWJBarnabas Health Pharmacy is proud of our teammates who have pursued these certifications and offer this expertise to our patients, families and fellow practitioners. In fact, 28% of all pharmacists in our Enterprise are Board Certified Pharmacy Practitioners

The RWJBarnabas Health Infusion and Specialty Pharmacy Services Division consists of 33 pharmacists, 50 pharmacy technicians, 35 support staff and 32 nurses

  • RWJBarnabas Health Home Infusion Division

The RWJBarnabas Health Home Infusion Division delivers medications, nutritional support, infusion pumps and supplies as well as comprehensive education and infusion therapy management to patients in need of home infusion therapy.

  • Our nurse colleagues performed 24,707 home visits to our patients
  • The division made and administered in excess of 76,607 intravenous medications
  • Home infusion division achieved a 0.02 % infection rate per 1,000 patient days
  • The Acute Care Service Line referred 1484 patients to our service
  • The Home Infusion division provided 1780 days of free care for patients from our system

  • RWJBarnabas Consolidated Pharmacy Services Division

Consolidated pharmacy is a centralized pharmacy providing system hospitals with quality sterile products, repackage products and code cart trays. It is created to help control costs for the system by consolidating job functions, reducing waste and passing on just costs to the system hospitals.

  • Our pharmacy team prepared and delivered more than 198,950 intravenous medications for the acute care service line
  • There were in excess of 25,226 total parenteral nutrition intravenous preparations made and delivered to our Acute Care Service Line
  • Our service repackaged for the Acute Care Service Line more than 367,279 tablets of medications into unit dosage forms because they were not commercial available
  • Our service repackaged for the Acute Care Service Line more than 92,331 doses of liquid medications into unit dosage forms because they were not commercially available
  • By utilizing this division in lieu of outsourcing and centralizing purchasing, the Health System saved $2,374,344

  • RWJBarnabas Health Specialty Pharmacy Division

The RWJBarnabas Health Specialty Pharmacy Division offers a comprehensive therapy management service that focuses on providing high cost, high touch medication therapy for patients with complex disease states. Our pharmacy offers complete specialty care with a range of medications, therapies and services to manage conditions easier. Medications in specialty pharmacy vary from oral to cutting edge injectable and biological products. Our goal is to achieve superior clinical and economic outcomes while maintaining the utmost compassion and care for our patients.

  • Our dedicated team filled more than 86,031 prescriptions for our patients
  • The team made in excess of 24,667 deliveries to our patient’s homes
  • The division averages approximately 347 prescriptions on a daily basis
  • Our health system referred 552 transplant patients to our service
  • This division filled 14,538 specialty 340B scripts
  • By utilizing this division, the health system saved $46,700,919 in 340B dollars
  • The disease states managed under our care are:
    • Cardiology
    • Infectious Disease
    • Transplant, Solid organ transplant and Stem cell transplant
    • Hematology/Oncology
    • Inflammatory Conditions

  • Pharmacy Reimbursement Division

The Pharmacy Reimbursement Division (PRD) consists of a team of individuals with expertise in medication billing and reimbursement.

  • Recovered over $4.5 million in 2023 and $55.7 million since program inception for the Acute Care Service Line, through a dedicated review and incorporation of existing clinical, reporting and surveillance applications
  • Full transition in 2023 from McKesson RxO/Cardinal eRecovery to Carexst Drug Replacement/Patient Assistance Program across all Acute Care Service Line facilities resulted in over $1.86 million cost savings.
  • Payor Invoice Submissions: since implementation in April 2021, we have received over $1.4 million in recoveries.
  • Collaboration of monthly/bi-weekly forum with department
    • Managed Care
    • CAM (Clinic Administered Medications) Advisory Council
    • Prior Authorization and Grouper
    • Title X
  • ERX/NDC Build for specific HCPCS
  • Epic Build/Go-Live
    • Pre & Post Go-Live Support
    • WQ Review and Education
      • Enhancements
        • High Quantity reference table
    • Formulary additions/revisions
      • VitalWare import
      • Inbasket errors
    • Annual and Ad hoc Pricing Updates
    • Waste Billing Maintenance
      • Charge vs Reportable
    • JW/JZ Modifier
    • Backend Logic Build
      • ESA’s
      • Leuprolide
      • Argatroban
      • Spravato
    • Custom Pharmacy User Templates
    • Inner vs Outer NDC Billing
    • New Technology Add-On Payment (NTAP) Implementation

  • Retail Pharmacy Network Division

The Retail Pharmacy Division members are responsible for dispensing and controlling medication, which includes both prescription and non-prescription. They also advise customers on general healthcare topics. Retail pharmacists must work to meet legal and ethical guidelines set by many different regulatory agencies, including the State Board of Pharmacy.

In 2023, the retail pharmacies dispensed 186,654 prescriptions, averaging 699 prescriptions per day, with a staff of 11 full time pharmacists. A total of 22,303 prescriptions were filled for 340B for a system benefit of $1,854,801.

The Dispensary of Hope program, which improves medication access to under-served populations by providing donated medications at no charge, was maintained at five retail locations. The Dispensary of Hope is a non-profit drug distributor, whose mission is to transform lives by creating pathways for donated medicine to reach individuals in need and without access. Our system has the only retail pharmacies authorized to provide this program in the state of NJ.

The retail pharmacy network continues to build upon and improve its current services which include home delivery, text messaging pickup availability, and refill reminders. Pharmacies provide clinical services to support care transitions, adult immunizations, medication adherence, and medication therapy management (MTM). The retail pharmacy staff is also involved in community outreach programs, brown bag events, and blood pressure screenings. At Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, the retail pharmacy initiated and built programs with the departments of bariatric surgery, emergency, maternal fetal medicine, geriatrics and colorectal surgery.

In 2023, the retail pharmacy generated more than $33,485,914 dollars in revenue with net benefit in excess of $696,003 dollars.

In 2023, the retail pharmacies:

  • Went live on Epic Willow Ambulatory at the BH Retail Pharmacy at JCMC, MMC, NBI and Greenville
  • Maintained the Dispensary of Hope program at five retail pharmacy locations
  • Provided 128 outreach programs at 27 locations with over 1,500 attendees
  • Developed numerous disease state focus patient education materials

  • 340B Drug Pricing Program Division

The 340B Program continues to meet its original goal of helping eligible patients and hospitals make the most of scarce resources while saving taxpayers money. The RWJBarnabas Health 340B covered entities are committed to caring for the vulnerable and use 340B savings to stretch otherwise limited resources to enhance services and increase access. For patients, this means affordable medications, expanded access to community-based primary and specialty care, and help managing chronic conditions. This program supports all these benefits while reducing federal, state, and local health care spending.

In addition to lower costs and affordable medications, our programs support better care and better health outcomes allowing us to provide more services and offset losses from providing care without compensation.

Throughout 2023 the Corporate Pharmacy 340B Team:

  • Welcomed our newest team member, Rahul Nakrani, to the Corporate Pharmacy 340B Team
  • Remained focused on elevating responsibilities related to auditing hospital pharmacies and contracted pharmacies along with supplying compliance tools, 340B training and other support services.
  • Helped transition 5 covered entities to EPIC while mitigating potential WAC impact to the pharmacy budget.
  • Performed audits of thousands of patient dispensations and thousands of purchasing invoices to ensure program eligibility.
  • Completed 1 external audit in conjunction with hospital pharmacy personnel.
  • Generated $1.2 million in contract pharmacy revenue through manual order processing due to requests for additional manufacturer information (AMI)
  • Increased contract pharmacy revenue by $4.5 million dollars through various 340B initiatives. The largest being the utilization of Managed Medicaid which accounted for $2.6 million of the increased revenue.
  • Aided in the health system’s GPO conversion.

As federal dollars shift and resources become scarce, it is critical that health centers participate in programs like this that will continue to increase patient access and expand services. The 340B Program will enable health centers to increase access to affordable medication, which will ultimately improve outcomes, and assist in overcoming the impact of the decline in federal and state funding.

  • Ambulatory Care Division

The Ambulatory Care Division consists of 8 pharmacists who act as health care extenders, offering services such as patient counseling, medication reconciliation, and chronic disease state management which can optimize medication use while reducing costs, side effects, and readmissions.

  • More than 1160 ambulatory care interventions were performed by the division
  • The most common types of intervention categories include:
    • Transitions of Care
    • Patient Counseling
    • Laboratory Assessment
    • Modifying and Clarifying Therapies—including brand to generic change, cost, inappropriate dose, and efficacy
    • Value-Based Measures
    • Adherence counseling and diabetes management/self-monitoring
    • Medication classes most commonly assessed included cholesterol lowering medications, anticoagulants, anti-diabetic agents, and anti-hypertensives
    • The division is represented on the Patient and Family Advisory Councils to support aligning our treatments with patient needs