Becker's asked pharmacy executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share their team or system's biggest achievement this year.
The 4 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker's Healthcare Spring Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit, April 30 - May 1, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
To learn more about this event, click here.
If you would like to join as a speaker or a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities or vendor access-only badges, contact Jessica Cole at jcole@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.
Question: What has been your team or system's biggest achievement in 2024?
Andrew Cheung. Director of Digital Pharmacy Applications and Informatics at Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.): In 2024, we successfully implemented interoperability between our electronic health record (EHR) system, Epic, and our IV pumps from ICU Medical, marking a significant achievement in patient care. This integration allows for seamless data exchange, enhancing medication administration safety and efficiency. By streamlining workflows, our clinical staff can now access real-time information, reducing the risk of errors and improving overall patient outcomes. This initiative represents a crucial step toward a more connected healthcare environment, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and excellence in patient care.
Amy Gutierrez, PharmD, CPEL. Vice President of Pharmacy and Chief Pharmacy Officer at UCHealth (Aurora, Colo.): Over the past year, we have been on a journey to improve how we engage our people and our teams, improve pharmacy communication across a large health system, and empower our leadership teams in listening and responding to the challenges that they face. We have been engaged in multiple changes that are driving improvements in patient outcomes and patient experience through a variety of initiatives focused on leveraging the skills of our talented pharmacy teams. Change management is difficult and our focus on new communication and feedback tools provide an opportunity for input and leadership at various levels throughout the organization, allowing for our teams to stay aligned on the same priorities while considering their wellbeing. Given the complexities in today’s healthcare environment, Pharmacy remains a critical component of our organization. I am excited for the path ahead as we continue our strategic path forward as a health system team.
Chad Smith. Vice President of Pharmacy Operations at Advocate Aurora Health (Charlotte, N.C.): For the Pharmacy Department at Advocate Health our biggest achievement in 2024 has been the execution of a ‘One Pharmacy Strong’ initiative across legacy organizations. Entering our 2nd year of a merge, we have begun to realize the efficiencies that we strategized through clinical, financial, and operational projects. While we have significant work to still complete it is satisfying to see how well our team executes under pressure because of this work, as tested by cyber security threats, drug shortage crisis, or other emergencies.
Scott Cardona, BSPharm. Assistant Director of Inpatient Pharmacy at Denver Health (Colo.): Denver Health, as Colorado's primary safety net hospital, is committed to ensuring access to top-quality and equitable healthcare for all, regardless of their financial situation. In 2024, we initiated a grant-funded intranasal naloxone program to provide free naloxone to patients at high risk for opioid overdose. To date, we have distributed approximately 2,000 kits to patients and family members through various channels, including our emergency department, specific inpatient units at discharge, at-risk elective spinal surgeries, adolescent mental health services, paramedic teams, and other clinics.
This successful endeavor has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of our multidisciplinary team.