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Pharmacist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
May 14, 2021

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Duties

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Administrative Operations, Branch of Medical Standards and Operations (BMSO), Medical & Pharmaceutical Standards Unit.

- Additional selections may be made from this announcement.
- This position is outside the Bargaining Unit.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This position is being filled through Direct Hire Authority. All applicants who meet the basic qualifications will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does NOT apply. Veteran's preference does not apply.

This branch provides medical advice during the development of policies regarding compensable conditions and is responsible for the day-to-day medical bill processing operations that support the OWCP programs.

Major Duties Include:

Serves as a technical expert in pharmacy practice and consultant with full responsibility for the OWCP Pharmacy Benefits Management initiative. Uses expertise in pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, and pharmacoeconomics to provide advice regarding therapeutics and the economics of drug treatments. Serves as lead subject matter expert to specify requirements for and evaluate proposals to acquire pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, and provides oversight for PBM services provided within a contract that will process approximately $350M in pharmacy bills annually.

Serves as a technical expert in pharmacy practice to review and recommend approval or rejection of PBM service provider recommendations regarding benefit design and business rules, the development and maintenance formularies and exclusion lists, claimant and provider education, etc., which will become OWCP policy for the authorization and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals.

Provides advice and guidance on safe and effective use of pharmaceuticals and optimization of drug treatment to improve health care outcomes, resulting in OWCP policies regarding same.

As a technical expert, utilizes pharmaceutical knowledge and scientific judgement to determine the adequacy of clinical documentation. Remains current on new developments in drug products and their applications, provides advice and guidance on anticipated drug therapeutic and safety issues.

Provides advisory information regarding the development of drug policies, procedures, and the use of prescription and non-prescription drugs. Recommends best pharmaceutical practices in the treatment of workers' compensation health issues. Serves as a consultant on matters pertaining to clinical pharmacy and patient safety. Serves as an expert and consultant for unusual patient care cases, and may review and offer expert opinions on the approval of exceptions to drug policy for individual, problematic and/or unique patient cases.

Develops pharmacy benefits policies and performs cost-benefit analyses on certain drugs. Researches the scientific literature and trade literature on drugs to determine the effects of prescription drugs and monitors pharmaceutical trends and costs.

Provides written reports and expert advice and guidance relative to pharmacy-specific issues in medication management and controlled substances. Works with outside resources to identify and implement interventions designed to improve patient outcomes. Provides oversight for development and implementation of OWCP reporting tools to create accurate, timely and program-specific financial and statistical reports regarding prescription processing, participant services, pharmacy networks, patient management, and drug utilization.

Participates in the strategic planning process regarding the Pharmacy Benefits Management Program and works with other medical staff, OWCP economist, administrative leadership, and bill processing staff to project drug costs/savings resulting from PBM recommendations.

May assist in preparing the Secretary and the OWCP Director for the presentation of testimony before Congress, and/or may be called upon to provide direct testimony as the PBM expert witness. Consults with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) regarding potential fraud and abuse in the amounts and types of pharmaceuticals, narcotics, and other drugs prescribed or dispensed relative to workers' compensation claims cases. Provides technical expertise in responding to oversight inquiries from Congress and OMB with regard to industry best practices in drug management.

Serves as the sole technical expert regarding approval or disapproval of PBM recommendations regarding formularies and formulary parameters prior to implementation. Provides oversight for development and implementation of OWCP's processes for proposed formulary changes, benefit design and business rules.

Uses technical expertise to perform research to resolve complex claimant issues surrounding the sufficiency of prescribed medication, cost-effectiveness of care, specialty medication, and other unique challenges.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Less than 10%

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15 - This position is at the full performance level (GS-15).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
  • Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
  • Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
  • Applicants must be able to distinguish basic colors.


Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Medical Requirement: Applicants must be able to distinguish basic colors.

Qualifications

THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC REQUIREMENT. ALL APPLICANTS MUST MEET THIS REQUIREMENT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED.

Education

A doctoral degree in Pharmacy that is recognized by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (external link) (ACPE) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

Licensure

Applicants must be licensed to practice pharmacy in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

Experience

Applicant's qualifications background must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to perform the work of the position. Pharmacy work requires knowledge of the use, clinical effects, and composition of medications, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties. Qualifying professional pharmacy experience may involve, but is not limited to:
  • Dispensing medications prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and providing information to health practitioners and patients about proper usage of medications and side effects;
  • Evaluating medication use patterns and outcomes for patients in hospitals or managed care organizations;
  • Performing administrative, consultative, or staff advisory work for a medical facility's pharmacy program;
  • Planning, monitoring and evaluating medication programs or regimens;
  • Establishing medication-handling procedures for the storage and preservation of medications;
  • Researching medical literature and/or clinical medication information to provide accurate responses to inquiries; and/or
  • Maintaining all medication records required by law.

Employees currently assigned to positions in this occupational series as of September 2017 will be considered to have met the basic requirements for the position occupied.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

In addition to the meeting the basic requirements of this position, applicants must also possess 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-14, in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as work developing and implementing pharmacy policies, programs, and procedures on pharmaceutical usage, cost benefit analysis in clinical care, and waste and fraud prevention.

Education

You may not use education to substitute for specialized experience.

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor's Telework Program. May be eligible for telework three or more days per week.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applicants who meet the basic qualifications will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Traditional rating and ranking of applications does NOT apply. Veteran's preference does not apply.

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the- job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Technical Creditability: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Planning and evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Written communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized and convincing matter for the intended audience.

Please review evaluations details here .

For Displaced Employees ONLY: if you meet the eligiblity requirements for special priority selection under ICTAP / CTAP , you must also meet the basic requirements for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. Also, do not upload password-protected documents.

Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship , and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted

Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit.

You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document (3 MB size limit). If over 3 MB, please submit via fax feature.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Reference the "Education Section" for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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