Summer Intern Stories: Pfizer
The AMCP Foundation/Pfizer Managed Care Pharmacy Summer Internship Program aims to develop future leaders in managed health care through activities that expose interns to population health and the application of managed care pharmacy principles.
Name: Devin DeNofio
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: Kaiser Permanente Washington, Madison Washington
Over the summer I had the pleasure of spending 10 weeks completing an AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Internship at Kaiser Permanente (KP) Specialty Pharmacy in Seattle, WA. Working within an integrated system was especially eye-opening. I was tasked with completing a medication use management project that resulted in a recommendation for formulary status change to be presented at an upcoming P&T committee meeting, compiled an oral oncology counseling database for pharmacists, and provided a recommendation surrounding use of manufacturer free drug program in an effort to optimize access to medications for patients.
Additionally, I analyzed and prepared data demonstrating a multimillion-dollar repatriation project that led me to develop a plan of action for accessing these patients spanning 6 quarters and a 3-year strategic plan. It was such a special experience to have the opportunity to shadow data analytics, formulary management, prior authorization, and many other professionals within KP WA. I especially enjoyed getting to experience how closely physicians, pharmacists, and health plan staff work together to drive initiatives that better provide access and optimization of medications to patients.
I am looking forward to presenting my capstone project on Refill Care Coordination in Specialty Pharmacy at AMCP Annual Meeting in Houston next year! I cannot thank my KP WA preceptor Paul Yoon, Pfizer MOS Dave Gross, and virtual preceptor Desola Davis enough for all of the wisdom, support, and laughs along the way. This internship has provided me a framework for my future that I never expected, and I cannot wait to see what my future in managed care has in store!
Name: Aisha Fowler
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: Navitus Health Solutions, Madison, WI
This summer I had the honor and privilege of interning for Navitus Health Solutions, a national Pharmacy Benefit Manager in Madison, WI. This experience would not have been possible without the support and guidance from the AMCP Foundation and Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship Program.
As I reflect on my internship, I am appreciative of the opportunities, experiences, and knowledge that it provided. This internship exposed me to drug information, P&T committee, population health, benefit design, health care resources, and patient care outcomes. Through diverse meetings, I had the unique opportunity to learn from different stakeholder perspectives, starting from the PBM and formulary management to client needs, such as health care plans, and finally, the manufacturer’s perspective of medication access and collaborative healthcare initiatives. The most fulfilling aspect of this experience was gaining a deeper appreciation for the work needed by each stakeholder in healthcare to improve patient care and access.
I could not have imagined a better opportunity to learn about pharmacy benefit management than through Navitus Health Solutions. Not only were my preceptor and the Navitus team incredibly helpful with invaluable insights on my research project, I had the unequalled opportunity to prepare a drug monograph and present my clinical conclusions before the P&T Committee. I am truly honored and humbled to have presented before such an experienced and sophisticated panel of experts in the field, voting members, and stakeholders. That may have been one of the most rewarding experiences in pharmacy school to date.
Thank you to Pfizer Inc. for making this internship possible. My Medical Outcomes Specialist preceptor, Dr. Jocelyn Good, was passionate about expanding access to patients. She taught me about Real-World Data, such as IQVIA, for my research project and how to develop the logic needed to interpret the data using the best practices. I learned more about industry pharmacy than imagined and am extremely excited to pursue a non-traditional pharmacy career.
I am particularly grateful to my preceptors, Drs. Alex Peaselee and Jocelyn Good, the Navitus Drug Information team, and my mentors, Dr. Terry Richardson and Sumie Kakehi and for their support. I cannot forget to thank Ebony Clay, Paula Eichenbrenner, and Shyra Bias for all of their efforts in making my experience the best possible.
This internship program has surpassed my expectations. It was an incredible feeling to be surrounded by such a passionate and brilliant group of individuals in managed health care. I felt completely supported through this entire experience and truly believe I have strengthened my skills in business acumen, confidentiality, communication, teamwork, and visionary leadership. I am hopeful that through my research, it is apparent how supportive, Navitus, AMCP, and Pfizer have been throughout this experience in helping me realize my own potential.
Name: Amy Hu
School of Pharmacy: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (Rutgers University)
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2021
Internship Site: Independent Health, Buffalo, NY
This summer, I had the unique opportunity to take part in the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Summer Internship at Independent Health. Within ten weeks, I’ve learned so much about managed care by completing projects such as writing drug monographs, formulating the prior authorization criteria for continuous glucose monitors, creating a pipeline drug report, making asthma inhaler adherence calls for Medicaid patients, and revamping a pregnancy edit project. I’ve also been able to work closely with the AMCP Foundation to conduct a payer survey on value-based agreements, which has been a big topic in today's healthcare landscape.
Through this internship, I have gained a new appreciation for payers in their role leading public health initiatives and improving population health. Learning about Independent Health as an organization has been particularly interesting, as it is a regional health plan in Western New York that covers 400,000 lives. As an intern, I was able to visit Independent Health's subsidiary pharmacy benefit manager and specialty pharmacy, as well as shadow various departments, including the pharmacy help desk, prior authorizations, and case management.
Some other enjoyable experiences include volunteering at a community fair, attending pharma presentations, and discussing the P&T and formulary process with the clinical pharmacists. This internship has definitely influenced my future career path and has made me want to learn more about managed care.
I'd like to give a huge thank you to my Independent Health preceptor Denise Rotella, Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialists Jean McGrath Brodeur and Brian Gucwa, and virtual preceptor Justin Bioc. A special thank you as well to some of the people I worked with during my internship, including Mark Wrobel, Ying-Fen Swagler, Keith Rowe, Karen Brim, Christina Manciocchi, and Walter McClain, as well as Independent Health, Pfizer, and the AMCP Foundation for this eye-opening opportunity! I can’t wait to present the results to my value-based agreements survey at AMCP Nexus in National Harbor, MD this fall!
Name: Rachael Lai
College of Pharmacy: The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2021
Internship Site: SelectHealth, Salt Lake City, UT
This summer, I had the privilege of working as a pharmacy intern at SelectHealth in Salt Lake City, UT through the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Pharmacy Internship program. I am grateful that I had the opportunity of working at SelectHealth because here, I had an incredibly immersive experience and gained so much exposure to managed care. I started my internship with very little knowledge and experience with managed care pharmacy, but at the end of the program, I had more than I ever expected.
Over the course of the 10-week program, I collaborated with pharmacists on projects related to formulary management, benefit design, population health, and maximizing health care resources and patient care outcomes. Additionally, I engaged in meetings with pharmaceutical companies to discuss pipeline, newly approved medications, and contracting agreements. I also met with managers and healthcare providers to present on newly approved drugs and make recommendations for formulary placement decisions.
Through this internship, I improved my communication, presentation, data analysis, and literature evaluation skills. I learned how to use statistical data analysis software and how to think like a managed care pharmacist. Some of the projects I completed include presenting a journal club, creating and updating prior authorization criteria, formulating a monograph for enzyme disorders, conducting a peer review of an article, and writing excerpts for quarterly pharmacy and therapeutics newsletters. Most importantly, I completed my capstone project that assessed the impact of implementing a narrow network pharmacy program on drug utilization and medication adherence.
About halfway through the program, I had the exciting opportunity to visit Pfizer Headquarters in New York City, NY. During my visit, I presented my capstone project to some of the Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialists (MOS) and learned about various positions within Pfizer where pharmacists work. My favorite part of the visit was meeting the interns from other sites throughout the country and learning about their experiences and projects!
This internship provided me with so many unique opportunities for growth and professional development. I want to take a moment to thank all of my preceptors and mentors that supported me throughout the summer, especially Curtis Wander, my on-site preceptor, Lori-Blackner Brown, my Pfizer MOS preceptor, and Leann McDowell, my virtual preceptor. I am so grateful for the guidance you all provided. In addition, I am very appreciative of the pharmacists and professionals at SelectHealth for taking the time to teach me and for trusting me to work with them on their projects. My experience was phenomenal because of the people I was surrounded by, and I am glad that we crossed paths.
To conclude my internship, I will present my capstone research project at the poster session during AMCP Nexus 2019. Please come visit me to hear about my project and experience this summer!
Name: Taryn Sohal
School of Pharmacy: University of Missouri-Kansas City
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021
Internship Site: HealthPartners, Bloomington, MN
Exactly eight days after my last final of P2 year, I packed up my car and drove to Bloomington, Minnesota for 10 weeks. In Bloomington, I had the opportunity to intern at HealthPartners through the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Pharmacy Internship program. I remember walking into the building on the very first day, wondering what I was getting myself into. But little did I know-the next 10 weeks were going to challenge my thinking, force me out of my comfort zone, and teach me more than I had ever imagined.
Each week at HealthPartners, I was tasked with specific objectives which required meetings with different pharmacists and professionals to understanding the operations, management, and projects associated within a health plan. The topics included but were not limited to: formulary and prior authorizations, utilization management, payment systems, benefit design, specialty pharmacy, compliance, medication therapy management (MTM), and contracting. Some specific projects I had participated in included:) creating and presenting monographs for the July P&T Committee, conducting a retrospective drug utilization review, weekly journal clubs, auditing high cost claims, participating in a medical quantity and frequency claims edit, analyzing trends within the specialty medication claims, and researching the impact of the real-time pharmacy benefit platform on primary nonadherence. Between the scheduled meetings and projects, I was also able to tour HealthPartners Specialty Pharmacy, attend a Research and Grant Proposal meeting, and shadow MTM pharmacists in an ambulatory clinic.
In the final weeks of my internship, I had the opportunity to visit Pfizer Headquarters located in New York City to present my research project and meet my fellow interns. I may have only spent 48 hours with those women, but it was inspiring to hear and learn from them. These women are the future of managed care pharmacy – they are visionaries and are ready to make positive change. I’m excited to have connected with them and see where the future takes them!
Lastly, I’ll be very honest – I had not anticipated loving this experience as much as I did. And for that, I will forever be thankful to my interviewers at HealthPartners, for seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Because without them, I would never have learned what it means to be a managed care pharmacist. I am especially grateful for my main on-site preceptor, Pete Marshall, my Pfizer preceptor, Kaylan Wilson, along with Christine Strahl, Joe VonBank, Travis Tacheny, Thomas Julin, and Leann McDowell for consistently taking the time to help me (which was about every 10 minutes). Each one of these individuals were incredibly kind, passionate, curious, strategic, and humble. They invested in my growth as an intern and facilitated my development as a professional. So, to those who made my experience worthwhile, thank you.
In the meantime, you can find me in Kansas City, MO for the next two years of pharmacy school and at AMCP Nexus this upcoming October!
