Local Health Plan and UOP team up to offer residency training

By David Hurst, Health Plan of San Joaquin

Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) the local health initiative in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties, was recently awarded a three year accreditation for its Managed Care Pharmacy Practice Residency Program by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). HPSJ is the only non-profit Local Initiative Health Plan in California that offers residency training and has achieved accreditation for their Pharmacy Managed Care Residency Program.

The Residency Program developed by Allen Shek, Pharm.D., BCPS, director of pharmacy at the Health Plan of San Joaquin and associate professor at the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at the University of the Pacific, provides Doctor of Pharmacy graduates a solid foundation in population–based pharmaceutical care. This collaboration between HPSJ, a local initiative health plan headquartered in French Camp and the University of the Pacific an institutional leader in Pharmacy studies in California, is uniquely possible because both entities are closely located within San Joaquin County and have an established relationship.

According to Philip Oppenheimer, Pharm.D. dean of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at University of the Pacific, “We are very proud of our partnership with Health Plan of San Joaquin and San Joaquin General Hospital in creating a post doctoral training program in Managed Care Pharmacy. This collaboration has resulted in developing one of only a few accredited residency programs in Managed Care Pharmacy.”

The 12-month residency program emphasizes the development and implementation of medication use management initiatives and policies, clinical programs, formulary management, drug information, teaching and mentoring skills. As state budget cuts affect all aspects of the healthcare industry, teaching the residents how to manage costs effectively is an asset.

The residents not only gain clinical, analytical and administrative skills from a health plan level, but clinical skills for direct patient care at the Pharmacist-managed Disease Management Clinics at San Joaquin General Hospital (SJGH). While in the program, the residents mentor Pacific’s Pharmacy students on their clinical experiential rotations as well as lecture to first year Pharmacy students at Pacific and the Family Practice Medical residents at SJGH.

The first graduate of the program is now a Clinical Pharmacy Manager at MedImpact, a national Pharmacy Benefit Manager firm. The current resident, Jonathan Yeh, has accepted the position of Disease Management Clinical Pharmacist at Health Plan of San Joaquin and will start after completing his residency training in June 2008.

According to Dale Bishop, M.D., medical director for the Health Plan of San Joaquin, “I am very pleased that our managed care pharmacy residency program has been awarded accreditation. Supporting professional education locally is an important part of the mission of HPSJ to improve the health and well being of our local communities. Pharmacists with advanced training regarding best practice and cost effective use of medications will be a valuable resource to the medical system as new medications are introduced and costs continue to increase. Allen Shek and the HPSJ staff have worked very hard to achieve this well deserved recognition.”

The Pharmacy Residency Program is yet another way Health Plan of San Joaquin gives back to the community by mentoring more Pharmacists with the unique skill sets and leadership to improve the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective health care in the complex managed care environment.

To learn more about the Pharmacy Residence Program, contact Allen Shek, Pharm.D. at (209) 942.6300. For more information on Health Plan of San Joaquin or its programs including Healthy Kids, Healthy Families and Medi-Cal, contact Health Plan of San Joaquin directly at 1-888-936-PLAN (7526) or online at www.hpsj.com.

About Health Plan of San Joaquin

HPSJ, a not-for-profit health plan initiated by San Joaquin County in 1994, began offering managed health care services to San Joaquin County Medi-Cal recipients in February 1996. Celebrating over a decade of success, the Health Plan is the leading Medi-Cal managed care provider in San Joaquin County, serving approximately 61,000 members through its Medi-Cal program. HPSJ is also the leading area plan serving the State’s Healthy Families Program, and has achieved the Community Provider Plan designation since the program’s inception in 1998 to ensure discounted coverage for over 10,000 children. In 2003, the Health Plan received State licensure to offer commercial insurance products, leading to the development of the Healthy Kids Program for over 2,500 children without public or private coverage, as well as the Healthy Connections Program that serves 1,200 workers participating in the In Home Support Services Program in San Joaquin County. In July 2006, the Health Plan began serving Healthy Families members in Stanislaus and Merced Counties, becoming the first Local Initiative in the State to successfully achieve a Service Area Expansion.

Doing business as San Joaquin Health Administrators, HPSJ also acts as a licensed third party administrator to San Joaquin County’s own employee health plan. For more information, call 1-888-936-PLAN (7526) or visit www.hpsj.com.