Newark Beth Israel Medical Center

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top 15 heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program; and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures. The hospital is also home to the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and the Children’s Heart Center. The hospital has received numerous awards that recognize their excellence in delivering healthcare. Accolades include three consecutive World’s Best Hospital by Newsweek, 6 consecutive “A” grades from The Leapfrog Group, and best Maternity Hospital designation from Newsweek. Newark Beth Israel was also recognized as a Gold Antimicrobial Stewardship Award recipient by the New Jersey Department of Health for three consecutive years.

The Department of Pharmacy’s mission is to provide our patients with effective pharmaceutical care in a safe, compassionate, and innovative environment. Over 90 employees who consist of highly trained pharmacists, technicians, residents, and administrative pharmacy staff ensure the safe delivery of pharmaceutical services for inpatients and outpatients of all age groups. In 2023, the hospital successfully transition to EPIC, a state-of-the-art electronic health record system, with integrated technology systems to support safe and efficient medication use throughout the organization.

In order to support the multiple acute care services that Newark Beth Israel offers, the Pharmacy Department is decentralized in the pediatric, oncology, and critical care areas of the hospital, enabling pharmacists to be immediate medication expert resources to all members of the healthcare team. In the Main Pharmacy, the clinical staff pharmacists verify orders for those areas that do not have a decentralized pharmacy, answers medication related questions, and oversee the overall dispensing of medications and compounding of sterile products.

Technicians, many of which hold professional certifications, support the activities of the pharmacy team in the decentralized and Main pharmacy areas. Our patient discharge advocate technician executes the services of the Meds-to-Beds program. The technician works collaboratively with the healthcare team to ensure continuity of care by having patients’ medications available to them prior to discharge. The department also manages the hospital’s 340b program, which generates cost savings that help support pharmacy programs and services, leading to improved medication access and adherence for our served population.

The Pharmacy Department has seven clinical specialists with pharmacotherapy expertise in the areas of transplant, critical care, pediatrics, infectious diseases, geriatrics, and internal medicine. They provide clinical support to pharmacy staff, physicians, patients, and many other healthcare disciplines by participating in daily multidisciplinary rounds and in the optimization of medication therapy for their patients. They also support the ASHP-accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Residency program by serving as preceptors and mentors.

As part of a teaching hospital with various academic disciplines, the Pharmacy Department provides extensive educational opportunities for pharmacy students, pharmacy staff, medical providers and trainees, as well as other healthcare disciplines throughout the hospital. Members of the pharmacy team consistently contribute to the field of pharmacy through research projects and poster presentations at local and national conferences.

The Pharmacy Department is an active member of the hospital’s journey toward being a high reliability organization through participation on various performance improvement committees and initiatives, and by striving to provide the best pharmaceutical services to our patients and community through developing partnerships with patients and other health care providers.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Pharmacy Leadership