University of Utah Research Fellowship Opportunity

University of Utah Health Plans & Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Fellowship July 2022 – June 2024

Description:

The University of Utah (U of U) Health Plans and University of Utah Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center has an exciting opportunity available for a 2-year joint Pharmacy Outcomes Research Fellowship with a focus in Managed Care. This fellowship provides the skills to conduct health outcomes research and to apply these results to integrating medical and pharmacy claims data to make informed strategic Health Plan decisions, such as formulary and benefit coverage, and drive improved member outcomes.

The fellow will receive training on:

• Study design/methodology and protocol writing

• Data management, data sharing requirements, and analysis

• Application of analytics to real world strategy and health outcomes

• Presentation of methods, research findings, and outcomes

• Proper customer and member communication

• Clinical decision-making by performing clinical assessments

The fellow will spend equal time working with the University of Utah Health Plans and its internal Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) and the University of Utah Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center, based in the College of Pharmacy. The first year will be focused on laying the groundwork and refining the data output. The second year will be focused on utilizing the data to drive strategy and interventions. The fellow will attend professional and scientific conferences, as well as submit a poster for presentation at a national meeting. The fellow will report to both the Health Plans Pharmacy Director and the Executive Director of the Outcomes Research Center.

Qualifications:

• PharmD degree

• Advanced degree in outcomes research related area (MS, PhD) preferred

• Pharmacist licensure in Utah

• Strong interpersonal and excellent communication skills

• Demonstrated support for diversity, equity, and inclusion

• Strong technology skills, particularly Word, Excel or other software (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS)

• Strong time-management, prioritization, and organizational skills

Description of Practice Sites:

U of U Health Plans provides a different model for Pharmacy Benefit Management. Our team has oversight over formulary development and maintenance, formulary controls, prior authorization criteria, benefit design, regulatory compliance, group implementations, customer service, member transitions, medical policy development, medical coverage, and rebate strategy. The integration with Health Plans and the University, the relationships with providers, the synergy with Care Management, and the dedication to the goals of Health Plans and the University makes our team more effective in implementing creative solutions, providing the optimal care to the members, and reducing health care costs, like few others are able to do in the current health insurance environment.

Recently, UUHP partnered with Cooperative Benefits Group (CBG) to create RealRx, a joint venture pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), to provide PBM operational services and additional expertise in formulary and rebate management to provide the best value to our groups and to increase access to affordable medications. This model completely removes the black box that is found with other non-transparent PBMs. This partnership will allow for a longitudinal experience for the fellow across all aspects of research and execution of health plan activities. Additional innovative partnerships in contracting with pharmaceutical manufacturers, based on the generation of real-world evidence, will also be explored to

further increase value to the plan and its members. The expertise across these organizations will allow for the fellow to understand and execute pharmacy benefit management principles, population management, along with utilization reviews to support value based clinical and economic decision making.

The Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center under the College of Pharmacy at University of Utah was established in 2002 and provides outstanding opportunity for the fellow to improve patient care via outcomes research and assessment. The mission of the Center is to facilitate the interaction of academia and patient care systems in the conduct of outcomes research, training healthcare professionals, and facilitating the utilization of outcomes research information to improve patient care. Fellowships are designed to educate the fellow on outcomes research principles, provide experience in designing research studies which examine economic and clinical outcomes, and develop independent researcher skills necessary to conduct outcomes research in a pharmaceutical company, academic institution, managed care organization or healthcare facility.

Supervisors:

Laura Britton, PharmD Diana Brixner, PhD, RPh, FAMCP

Director of Pharmacy Executive Director

University of Utah Health Plans Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center

Laura.Britton@hsc.utah.edu Diana.Brixner@utah.edu

How to Apply:

Please send letter of interest and current CV and arrange for three letters of reference by March 30, 2022 and submit all required application materials to:

Joseph Biskupiak, PhD, MBA, Research Professor

Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah College of Pharmacy

L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute, 30 South 2000 East, Room 4962

Salt Lake City, UT 84112

joe.biskupiak@utah.edu

+1 801 585 5249 W

Published in Employment, P4
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