Summer Intern Perspectives: Vy Do, AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Intern
Published October 2021
This summer, I have had the privilege to complete the AMCP Foundation/Pfizer, Inc. Managed Care Internship at Independent Health. Coming into the internship, I had little exposure to managed care and industry, but my preceptors were extremely welcoming and willing to walk me through everything. They introduced me to other members of the clinical pharmacy team and the pharmacy services department, invited me to internal and external meetings, and met with me at least twice weekly to make sure I wasn’t feeling lost or overwhelmed. Even though I was also partaking in another internship during the first month, they were understanding and flexible about my schedule, for which I am very grateful. Throughout the internship, I completed many projects at Independent Health, including constructing drug monographs, designing prior authorization and step therapy, reviewing the literature to see if a formulary change was necessary, and identifying cost-saving opportunities within drug classes. My capstone project was a retrospective claims analysis focusing on whether patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were appropriately placed on anticoagulation therapy based on their CHA2DS2-VASc score, and I will present my findings at AMCP Nexus 2021.
Outside of projects, I had the chance to engage in a weekly virtual training program with Pfizer and one of their journal club meetings, AMCP Foundation's weekly journal club meetings and educational sessions, including an introduction to regulatory affairs, AMCP eDossier demonstration with Xcenda, and conversation with the AMCP CEO. The training's deepened my understanding of managed care and industry, as well as how intertwined they are in creating access to quality care and effective medicine. Alongside the Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialists, I presented the VTE management algorithm and led a discussion in a team of Medical Outcomes Specialists in the U.S. Northeast region. I also presented a drug at the August P&T meeting at Independent Health. Through my preceptors, the Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist, and my assigned mentor who was a PYG1 managed care pharmacy resident at Magellan Rx Management, I was given multiple opportunities to network with other pharmacists working in different functional areas of managed care and industry, as well as managed care residents and fellows.
I would like to thank my preceptors, Dr. Mark Wrobel, Dr. Ying-Fen Swagler, and Pfizer Medical Outcomes Specialist Dr. Brian Gucwa for their unwavering support and guidance; to help me learn more about managed care, industry and sharpen my skill set. I would also like to thank Dr. Walter J. McClain, Martin Burruano, Dr. Katie Taylor, Dr. Kelly Verrall, and the rest of the Independent Health Pharmacy Services Team and Pfizer for their help in making this internship a valuable experience. I also appreciate the Independent Health IT Support Team for resolving all of my technological issues with logging on remotely from day one to the end of the internship. Lastly, I would like to thank Ebony Clay and Paula Eichenbrenner for coordinating such a wonderful and smooth virtual experience, and my mentor Dr. Amy Nguyen for providing me with lots of information on managed care pharmacy residency application preparation.