Medical Director, Short Term Exceptional Drug Therapy (STEDT) Program

Job Summary:

Within Pharmacy Services, the STEDT program supports consistent, standardized processes for the use of all high-cost non-formulary drug requests for AHS inpatients and outpatients in collaboration with Alberta Health. This growing program is seeking an additional Medical Director to work alongside the Pharmacy team to ensure timely, consistent evaluation of patient requests.

Responsibilities / Accountabilities:

The Medical Director, STEDT works closely with other medical leaders and non-medical staff of the Pharmacy team to:

• Receive requests and coordinate them through the adjudication and follow-up process as outlined in the program.
• Advise and formulate recommendations to the Zone Medical Directors related to funding of high-cost non-formulary drugs, with a focus on patient care and consistent application across the Province based on knowledge of the STEDT program objectives. 
• Communicate with requesting physicians regarding funding and sharing of expert advice if required.
• Accept resubmissions based on new evidence that has been presented by the requesting physician and consider whether a funding request is appropriate.
• Identify and recommend revisions to the current STEDT program processes and policies with a primary focus on transparency, effectiveness, and timeliness of funding requests.
• Be responsible for obtaining expert opinion, where appropriate, to assist in the formulation of a recommendation related to a particular request (patient or situation specific).
• Function as the primary liaison between stakeholders such as Zone Executive Leads, Pharmacy Reviewers, Independent Clinical Expert Reviewers, the Senior Operating Officer of Pharmacy Services, and ZMAC Chairs, while being responsive to the needs of each group.