Workforce shortages are top of mind for most pharmacy leaders at hospitals, according to chief pharmacy officers who recently spoke with Becker's about what they're thinking about as they fall asleep.
Here's what seven pharmacy executives said:
Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Christine Berard-Collins. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Lifespan (Providence, R.I.): Payer and pharmacy benefit manager mandates are very concerning. One example of this is "white bagging" — where the vials for a drug compounded and infused at a hospital, such as chemotherapy, are required to come from an external pharmacy. This disrupts the coordination of patient care within their health system, and at one of the most vulnerable points in a patient's care — the administration of their medication. Some states have successfully passed legislation to prevent these practices and protect patients, but this vulnerability still widely exists.
Eddie Seijo, PharmD. Assistant Vice President of Pharmacy Shared Services of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.): The top priority right now is the recruitment, hiring and retention of pharmacy technicians. According to national organizations, the average turnover rate is 21 to 30 percent with an average vacancy rate of 22 percent, and our health system is seeing very similar statistics. With these continued labor issues, pharmacies will not only continue to see a stalling of patient care services but also a reduction in advanced technician positions as they are pulled to perform traditional practices.
Gary Kerr, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.): As a pharmacy leader, top of mind is the deep professional commitment we need for sustaining and growing the pharmacy enterprises in the U.S. with a keen eye on strengthening the care model on the premise of individualized, compassionate dedication to our patients. Additionally, it is imperative in this post-COVID era of unprecedented financial pressures that we also continue our collective commitment to our fiscal stewardship roles, be it drug expense and utilization management or the continued innovative development of revenue-margin opportunities. Collaboration with our clinician prescriber colleagues and senior leaders has never been as critical as it is today and in the foreseeable future.
Indu Lew, PharmD. Executive Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.): My top job-related priority that I am thinking about before I go to sleep is human capital management. Human capital management is an umbrella term that covers talent acquisition, talent management and talent optimization.
Rita Shane, PharmD. Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles): Among my foremost concerns are the high cost of therapeutic innovation and the affordability of biologics and cellular and gene therapies. We must provide access to these cutting-edge therapies. I also spend a lot of time thinking about our pharmacy workforce — how to recruit and retain passionate, motivated leaders and staff.
Sam Calabrese. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Cleveland Clinic: Staffing keeps me up at night these days. I am extremely concerned about the pharmacy technician shortage. Pharmacy technicians are vital to our operations and the clinical services our pharmacists provide. We have seen a steady decrease in individuals pursuing pharmacy technology and current technicians moving out of the profession. As a result, we see an increase in overtime, which ultimately leads to added stress and burnout. In some cases, pharmacists are being pulled away from direct patient care to fill the gaps created by the shortages. One of the main issues is the national pay scale for these essential workers. Currently, their pay does not rise to the level of other highly skilled technical positions such as radiology technologists or HVAC technicians despite the complexity, risk and knowledge required to perform in these roles. Pharmacy technicians are instrumental in preparing sterile products including chemotherapy and should be recognized for their contributions to safe patient care. As a profession, we need to work together to ensure we can continue to provide the best care possible and allow individuals to be paid a wage that is fair and equitable.
Sue Mashni, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): My work-related priority is my staff — making certain that I am providing adequate support to them, coming off some very difficult years, and in recruitment of new team members. Across the nation, there are shortages of pharmacy techs and pharmacists. Here in New York, it is difficult to recruit and retain the next generation of pharmacy leaders needed to support the great amount of growth that we are experiencing in new types of pharmacy services. My goal is to help to develop and grow new leaders, through residencies and partnerships with New York Colleges of Pharmacy, as well as new partnerships with the city in recruiting and training.