Medical Pharmacy

Suzanne Brahnshaw PharmD

Cell 480-***-**** / e-mail ***********@*******.***

Employment Objective: To work beside an outstanding team of pharmacists and technicians in a hospital or prescription delivery setting dedicated to responsible knowledge and efficient distribution of medications and vaccines.

Career Summary

Six years experience in Prescription Benefit Management (PBM), ten years as a clinical hospital based pharmacist and an accumulation of two years as a contracted pharmacist doing independent assignments.

Certificates and Professional License

AzPA Immunization Training 12/2020

BLS American Heart Association 12/2020

Arizona State Board of Pharmacy 11/2021

Employment History

Dignity Health – Arizona General Hospital Mesa and Laveen, AZ 623-***-**** 05/2017 - 11/12/2020

Full-time Clinical Hospital Pharmacist. Evident based CPOE entry system and Omnicell medstation.

Perform daily inpatient renal dosing, antibiotical stewardships and ED charting reviews. Complete medication checks and signed off on all prepared medications prior to floor delivery. Attend code blues in ED to compound stat intravenous solutions.

Aetna (Clinical contract pharmacist from home) LanceSoft Staffing. 12/2016-03/2017

Medicare Part D Prior Authorizations (PA). Received and reviewed incoming physician requests for Medicare benefit drug coverage. Conducted drug reviews against established plan criteria guidelines to determine if drug coverage met approvable status, denial status or if additional information was required for approval or denial drug determination.

Physician letters for required additional medical information created by the reviewing pharmacist with specific detail to word content as mandated by Medicare Part D PA department. Drug reviews included Non-Formulary, Step Therapy, Tier Exceptions and Quantity Exceptions. All drug determination letters prepared by the reviewing pharmacist.

Consciously aware of drug review turn around times (fax time date stamp). Reviews required good medication knowledge of drug classes, approvable drug indications and maximum daily dosages in adult population. Online resources used- Micromedex, UpToDate, American Hospital Formulary Systems Drug Information and CVS Operation Services (COS).

Centene Envolve Pharmacy Solutions 1890 West Rio Salado,Tempe AZ 85282 314-***-****. Employed 02/2015-11/2016

Medicaid Prior Authorizations (PA) and Appeals. Received and reviewed incoming physician requests for Medicaid benefit drug coverage. Conducted drug reviews against established plan criteria guidelines to determine if drug coverage met approvable status, denial status or if additional information was required for approval or denial determination. All decision letters and requests for additional medical information prepared by the reviewing pharmacist. Drug reviews included Non-Formulary, Step Therapy and Specialty medications.

Daily telephonic provider authorizations (TPA) requests received from the physician or nursing staff, across multiple medical disciplines, for an immediate drug coverage determination. Conducted phone calls for professional to professional (P2P) drug coverage appeals for reconsiderations on previously declined drug coverage decisions.

Assisted pharmacy technicians with formulary drug alternatives and drug criteria plan guideline calls coming from retail and specialty pharmacies. Performed stretch duties as required by Medicaid state plans.

Reviews required good medication knowledge of drug classes, approvable drug indications and maximum daily dosages in the pediatric and adult populations. Online resources used- Micromedex, UpToDate and Clinical Pharmacology. In charge of ordering and maintaining office supplies for PA department

West Valley Hospital - Tenet Goodyear, AZ 09/2014–02/2015 623-***-****

PRN Hospital Pharmacist. Proficiency in HMS CPOE and Cerner Millennium order entry systems.

Performed hospital approved therapeutic medication interchanges on non-formulary drug orders. Completed medication checks and signed off on all prepared medications prior to floor delivery. Given full-time pharmacist employment hours for 13 week maternity leave period.

A 164-bed acute care, accredited Heart Pain Hospital and Trauma Center Unit with emergency room, trauma emergency, intensive care unit, medical/surgical, telemetry, behavioral health, obstetric units, with cardiovascular, orthopedic and future oncology services.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Clinical contract pharmacist) All About People Staffing. Scottsdale, AZ 7/2014-9/2014

Conducted daily prior authorization drug approval reviews for medical insurance company.

Declined drug determinations were appealed to internal medical review by a medical examiner. All decision letters were prepared by pharmacists.

Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (CGRMC) Casa Grande, AZ 05/2010- 06/2014

Hospital Pharmacist. Proficiency in Cerner Millennium order entry and Pyxis medstation.

Used clinical approach to order entry (reviewed patient age, diagnosis, allergies, preliminary laboratory renal and hepatic function tests). Clarified home medication lists and checked for duplication of drug therapy.

Completed daily renal dosing drug monitoring, documented pharmacy to dose adjustments on vancomycin, fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides orders and reviewed electrolyte lab results on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) orders to calculate necessary changes or approve continued orders for afternoon TPN compounding. Performed intravenous solution compounding.

Conducted hospital therapeutic drug interchanges. Triaged incoming phone calls to pharmacy. Advised nursing staff on intravenous solution final concentrations and pump rates. Contacted nursing staff when electrolyte supplemental protocols required.

Completed medication checks and signed off on all prepared medications prior to floor delivery. Scanned all pulled medications prior to loading into floor Pyxis machines. Pulled and returned narcotics to Pyxis narcotic vault.

A 200 bed facility with emergency, PACU,intensive care, telemetry, pediatric and obstetrics and medical surgical units. Monday through Friday Day Surgical, orthopedic and oncology services.

CGRMC was closed and purchased by Banner Health in 06/2014.

Arizona Regional Medical Center (ARMC) Mesa, AZ 10/2008 - 07/2012

Hospital Pharmacist. Proficiency in HMS CPOE and Meditech order entry systems.

Evening and weekend order entry. Reviewed medication orders based on the patient’s renal clearance, weight, age and disease state. Monitored all antibiotic therapy by assessing daily WBC, BUN and Scr labs and ordered dose adjustments as per pharmacy protocols.

Faxed out daily electrolyte changes and volumes on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) orders to specialty pharmacy for afternoon preparation and delivery.

Compounded and expedited intravenous solutions that were antidotal drips, narcotic drips, insulin drips, and emergency cardiac drips (antihypertensive, antithrombotic, antiarrhythmic, vasopressive and inotropic) needed in surgery, PACU, emergency and intensive care units.

Completed medication checks and sign off on all prepared medications prior to floor delivery.

Performed hospital approved therapeutic medication interchanges on non-formulary drug orders. Issued out and restocked returned anesthesia, respiratory and refrigerated drug boxes and surgical medication trays. Pulled narcotics for intravenous drips and floor locked narcotic boxes. Inventoried and locked up patient’s home medications.

A 90 bed facility featured as a Heart Pain Hospital that specialized in advanced cardiovascular services. Emergency, PACU, intensive care, medical surgical, hospice and orthopedic care units.

Employment began in 10/2008 as contracted pharmacist to start up hospital pharmacy, which later evolved into full time employment. Hospital business closed 04/2013.

Maricopa Integrated Health Systems (MIHS) Phoenix AZ 85008. 05/2009 to 09/2009

Hospital Pharmacist. Proficiency in STAR and HMS order entry systems.

Evening Order entry. Addressed physician electrolyte replacement orders by checking patient’s last potassium, sodium, calcium and/ or phosphate serum levels. Clinically trained to start and monitor low weight based heparin and warfarin therapies.

Supervised over technicians in compounding narcotic solutions, total parenteral nutrition and chemotherapy orders. Signed off on all final products with shelf date and alert/handle labels.

Completed medication checks and signed off on prepared medications prior to floor delivery.

Performed hospital approved therapeutic medication interchanges on non-formulary drug orders.

A 400+ bed facility Emergency Trauma 1 status, Burn, behavioral health, intensive care, telemetry, medical surgical, obstetric and pediatric units with cardiovascular, orthopedic and oncology services.

Mohave Medical Center (Contract pharmacist) Fort Mohave, AZ 06/2009-09/2009

Hospital Pharmacist. Managed pharmacy alone with one technician. Responsible for twice daily narcotic fills for floors, medication order entry, renal dosing and daily monitoring per pharmacy protocols, non-formulary drug interchanges, answering floor calls, monitoring over night shift medication emergency pulls from pharmacy.

A 90 bed facility with emergency, medical surgical, obstetric and orthopedic units.

Scottsdale Healthcare Scottsdale, AZ 85260 05/2006 to 11/2007.

Hospital Pharmacist. Proficiency in HMS order entry and Pyxis MedStation functions.

Main duty was order entry on evening shift. Communicated with nursing staff and/or physician regarding medication order discrepancies. Clarified physicians drug orders which were not legible enough to read or unclear in directions. Triaged phone calls and took new drug orders as verbal read back directly from physicians. Documented all drug modifications, deletions and therapeutic interchanges into physician charted orders.

Responsible for the dispensing and wasting of scheduled CII-CV drugs. Completed medication checks and signed off on all prepared medications prior to floor delivery. Restocked surgical medication trays.

Comfortable in delegating out additional job tasks to pharmacy technicians as required in busy pharmacy situations.

A 400+ bed facility with emergency, critical care unit, intensive care unit, telemetry, medical surgical, obstetric, pediatric units with cardiovascular, orthopedic, bariatric and oncology services.

PCS/Caremark/CVS Scottsdale, AZ 85260 12/2004 to 04/2006

Call Center Pharmacist. Medication consultant to mail order prescription members. Received incoming phone calls from members and providers regarding delivered mail order prescriptions. Addressed and documented all the patient’s concerns and questions regarding the delivery, storage, appearance and administration of new and refilled medications orders.

Express Scripts Inc. Tempe, AZ 85282 11/2002 to 12/ 2004

Call Center Pharmacist. Phone pharmacy consultant to insured members participating in their prescription benefit management (PBM) drug insurance program. Addressed member concerns and questions regarding the appearance, administration, delivery and storage of their mail ordered medications.

Received and forwarded new prescriptions phoned in from physician offices to mail order pharmacy for processing.

Retrieved prescription images, clarified missing information with the prescriber and restarted prescription orders which had been returned unfilled to member. Restarted prescription orders lost or damaged in transit from the mail order pharmacy.

Forwarded clarification documentation from physician’s office to the dispensing pharmacy for the preparation and expedition of specialty medications.

Other Contract Pharmacist (via Independent Vendors) History

CIGNA Healthcare Phoenix, AZ. Commercial Prior authorization reviews. Winter 2006

Humana Healthcare Phoenix, AZ. Commercial Prescription reviews. Spring 2007

CVS Scottsdale, AZ. CommericalPrior authorization and appeal reviews. 11/2012-03/2013

Lake Havasu Medical Center Lake Havasu, AZ 07/2013-10/2013

Traveling contract hospital pharmacist. A 100 bed facility (emergency, intensive care, medical/surgical, obstetric and pediatrics units with numerous surgical outpatient procedures.

Education- University of Iowa. Bachelor of Liberal Studies 1991

Midwestern University, College of Pharmacy 2002 Cum laude

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