HRCHC Pharmacist In Charge

General Description: The Pharmacist in Charge is responsible for providing safe, effective, patient-centered pharmacy services within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) environment. This position will play a key leadership role in the development, opening, implementation, and ongoing operation of the HRCHC pharmacy.

Supervisory Responsibility: Provides supervision to the Staff Pharmacist & Pharmacy Technician(s).

Essential Functions

Pharmacy Operations and Patient Care

• Safely and accurately dispense medications in compliance with prescriptions, laws, regulations, and professional standards.
• Review prescriptions for dosing, interactions, contraindications, allergies, and therapy duplication.
• Counsel patients on medication use, adherence, side effects, storage, and precautions.
• Collaborate with healthcare providers to resolve medication issues and optimize therapy.
• Help patients overcome financial, access, social, and insurance/formulary barriers to medications.
• Support chronic disease management and clinical pharmacy services within scope of practice.
• Maintain accurate pharmacy records and documentation, including controlled-substance accountability.
• Participate in medication safety, recalls, adverse-event reporting, quality improvement, and risk management.
• Deliver respectful, culturally responsive, and patient-centered care.

FQHC and 340B Program Responsibilities

• Support pharmacy operations consistent with HRCHC’s responsibilities as a Federally Qualified Health Center.
• Maintain working knowledge of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and its application to FQHC pharmacy operations.
• Support appropriate patient eligibility, prescription qualification, purchasing, inventory, billing, and documentation processes consistent with applicable 340B requirements and HRCHC policies.
• Maintain records necessary to support pharmacy, FQHC, and 340B compliance.
• Participate in internal audits, monitoring, corrective actions, and external reviews.
• Collaborate with Finance, Compliance, leadership, and other departments regarding pharmacy purchasing, inventory, billing, reconciliation, and 340B operations.
• Promptly report suspected diversion, duplicate discounts, medication discrepancies, controlled-substance concerns, fraud, waste, abuse, or other compliance issues through appropriate organizational channels.
• Maintain readiness for applicable regulatory, 340B, and program reviews.

Regulatory Compliance and Quality

• Ensure pharmacy operations comply with federal and Virginia laws, regulations, professional standards, and HRCHC policies.
• Maintain compliance with Virginia Board of Pharmacy and DEA requirements.
• Develop, implement, and update pharmacy policies, procedures, and SOPs.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation according to required retention standards.
• Ensure proper pharmacy security, medication storage, temperature monitoring, inventory management, and controlled-substance accountability.
• Support quality improvement, medication safety, risk management, compliance, and inspection readiness.
• Assist with regulatory inspections, corrective actions, and responses to findings.

Inventory and Financial Stewardship

• Manage medication inventory to ensure adequate supply while minimizing waste, expirations, and unnecessary costs.
• Maintain effective purchasing, inventory reconciliation, and internal controls.
• Monitor medication utilization, high-cost drugs, and purchasing patterns to improve efficiency and cost control.
• Manage wholesaler relationships, ordering, returns, and inventory-related activities.
• Partner with Finance and leadership to support financial sustainability.
• Track key pharmacy performance metrics, including volume, revenue, medication costs, inventory, margins, patient access, and operational efficiency.
• Safeguard organizational assets through strong internal controls and segregation of duties.

Integrated Care and Patient Access

• Collaborate with medical providers, nurses, behavioral health professionals, care coordinators, and other members of the healthcare team.
• Communicate with providers regarding therapeutic or formulary alternatives when cost, availability, payer restrictions, or other barriers affect medication access.
• Assist in developing strategies to improve medication adherence and reduce medication-related barriers to care.
• Promote pharmacy services as an integral component of HRCHC’s patient-centered healthcare delivery model.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of pharmacy practice, medication safety, and applicable pharmacy laws and regulations.
• Knowledge of community, retail, ambulatory, or outpatient pharmacy operations, including inventory management and purchasing.
• Knowledge of controlled-substance requirements, medication security, third-party billing, reimbursement, and pharmacy technology.
• Knowledge of, or demonstrated ability to learn, FQHC and 340B requirements.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and project-management skills.
• Ability to develop and implement policies, procedures, workflows, and operational controls.
• Ability to analyze pharmacy performance data and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Proficiency with pharmacy technology, electronic health records, dispensing systems, and related healthcare information systems.

Education and Experience

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) or Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from an accredited school or college of pharmacy.
• Current, unrestricted Virginia pharmacist license, or eligibility to obtain Virginia licensure before beginning independent pharmacist duties.
• Current professional credentials and registrations required for assigned responsibilities.
• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an FQHC/community health center setting and with the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
• Experience developing pharmacy policies, procedures, workflows, and internal controls.
• Experience serving medically underserved or vulnerable populations.
• Supervisory or pharmacy management experience preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and perform routine pharmacy duties.
• Ability to sit, bend, stoop, reach, and occasionally lift or move supplies, medications, and equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to approximately 25–30 pounds, as needed.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand and wrist movements required for dispensing, labeling, packaging, computer use, and other pharmacy tasks.