Pharmacy Buyer - FT/Days - Laguna Hills

At MemorialCare Health System, we believe in providing extraordinary healthcare to our communities and an exceptional working environment for our employees. Memorial Care stands for excellence in Healthcare. Across our family of medical centers, we support each one of our bright, talented employees in reaching the highest levels of professional development, contribution, collaboration and accountability. Whatever your role and whatever expertise you bring, we are dedicated to helping you achieve your full potential in an environment of respect, innovation and teamwork.

Position Summary

The Pharmacy Buyer is responsible for the successful purchasing of medications and pharmaceutical supplies for the pharmacy, ensuring that medications and supply inventories are adequate to meet the needs of the day-to-day pharmacy operations, while ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements, optimizing inventory turns, minimizing medication stock-outs and expirations, and controlling cost to meet financial budget targets. The Pharmacy Buyer coordinates physical inventories, maintains accurate and timely reports on medication and pharmaceutical supply purchases, reconciles invoices and coordinates the drug recall process. The Pharmacy Buyer works with the clinical team to ensure formulary and contract compliance. This position serves as the central point of contact for the purchasing of medications and pharmaceutical supplies for the pharmacy department.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities of the Job

• Establishes and maintains appropriate levels of stock in response to ongoing utilization, shortages, waste prevention and critical needs. Secures acceptable product alternatives when necessary. Manages minimum/maximum inventory levels by continuously adjusting as necessary, especially fast-moving items to avoid stock-outs. Controls and manages inventory on an ongoing basis for opportunities to improve inventory turns, decrease expired wasted and meet pharmacy financial budget targets. Oversees receiving process of medications and supplies, returns overstocked/mis-ordered items to appropriate vendor in a timely manner to ensure full credit when possible. Coordinates and communicates short-dated items among other campus buyers for possible sharing, borrow and loaning to prevent unused drugs from expiring. Organizes, coordinates, and prepares for yearly inventory, monitors and manages drug recalls, and ensures expired pharmaceutical inventory is quarantined to designated area and returned to reverse distributor vendor for credit and disposal.
• Accurately places wholesaler, secondary vendors, and direct pharmaceutical orders daily, and in a timely manner. Communicates drug price increases with pharmacy leadership for consideration of alternatives and cost savings strategies and ensuring contract compliance.
• Ensures all wholesalers, secondary vendors and direct manufacturer invoices are reconciled, processed, and received in PeopleSoft as needed, as well as investigate and resolve any invoice discrepancies in a timely manner. Maintains all purchase records, invoices, receipts, and inventory control records. Manages and resolves all shipping or billing errors in a timely manner and follow up until errors are corrected.
• Assist with implementing processes to help pharmacy achieve and maintain desirable inventory turns. Collaborate with clinical team on cost saving initiatives related to formulary conversions and/or compliance. Works with MHS System Pharmacy Sourcing Director, drug manufacturers, Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), and other vendors to ensure pharmacy is receiving best pricing. Reviews pharmacy dashboard on monthly basis to explain variances and track expenses to ensure department is meeting budget targets.
• Coordinates the borrow/loan process between facilities, ensuring that records are current and reconciled to ensure costs are transferred to appropriate cost center.
• Coordinates the drug recall process and ensures that records are keeper appropriate in the event of audit.
• Other duties as assigned.

Placement in the pay range is based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, relevant years of experience and qualifications. In addition to base pay, there may be additional compensation available for this role, including but not limited to, shift differentials, extra shift incentives, and bonus opportunities. Health and wellness is our passion at MemorialCare—that includes taking good care of employees and their dependents. We offer high quality health insurance plan options, so you can select the best choice for your family. And there’s more...Check out our MemorialCare Benefits for more information about our Benefits and Rewards.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications/Work Experience:

• Two (2) years experience in an inpatient pharmacy setting, three (3) years preferred.
• One (1) year experience as a pharmacy buyer in an inpatient pharmacy setting, two (2) years preferred.
• Knowledge of medical and pharmacy terminology, weights and measures, and pharmacy math required.

Education/Licensure/Certification:

• Current California Registered Pharmacy Technician license required
• Graduated from a Pharmacy Technician Training Program preferred