Program overview

Department of Pharmacy

The Geisinger Ambulatory Clinic Pharmacy Program has more than 90 ambulatory clinical pharmacists managing patients’ medications for over 20 medical conditions. Pharmacists are incorporated into clinical sites within four practice models: primary care disease management, specialty medicine disease management, home-based primary care and pharmacy tele-management (or non-traditional “telepharmacy”).

Primary care pharmacists are embedded within family practice and internal medicine sites across the health system. This practice model is based on a concept of comprehensive, high-value, office-based visits to achieve ongoing management and patient ownership of chronic disease patients at primary care sites. These pharmacists help to improve medication-related patient outcomes and assist primary care providers in decreasing healthcare costs and meeting quality benchmarks. 

Under collaborative practice agreements with providers, our pharmacists perform comprehensive medication reviews and medication reconciliation, identify and resolve medication-related problems and manage chronic disease states through evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of medication regimens (including titration and monitoring toward targeted patient outcomes). They also design patient-centered, cost-effective medication regimens, optimize polypharmacy and provide education to patients and providers.

Pharmacy students from regional schools of pharmacy rotate through our hospitals and clinics as part of their advanced pharmacy practice experience rotations.

Residency requirements

As a PGY1 pharmacy resident in a clinic setting, you will provide quality pharmaceutical care and be responsible for ensuring safe, efficacious and cost-effective drug therapy for patients. The clinical pharmacist works in a multidisciplinary practice and collaborates with all team members, using a collaborative practice-based care team model. 

Additionally, you will provide face-to-face and one-on-one phone-based disease management with patients. You will learn to use integrated and routine communication with all healthcare professionals and patients concerning medical care and quality of life. During this process, you’ll focus on monitoring and documenting specific pharmacotherapy outcomes. 

As a resident, you will also be responsible for Medication Therapy Disease Management (MTDM) activities related to anticoagulation therapy, diabetes, insulin pump management, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, COPD, heart failure and osteoporosis. You will consult with the patient to identify, resolve and prevent medication-related problems. You’ll assess each patient’s medications for indication, effectiveness, safety and adherence issues and order lab tests in the assessment process.

As a clinical pharmacist, you will follow up with the patient to titrate/manage/monitor their medication therapy to ensure positive outcomes. You will have the opportunity to do operational/clinical functions or projects as assigned and meet the qualifications to provide care for patients in the specific age range in your assigned clinical area.

Required core experiences

• Orientation
• Anticoagulation
• Primary care
  • Disease states include anticoagulation, asthma, COPD, diabetes, dyslipidemia, heart failure, hypertension, osteoporosis, smoking cessation
• Telepharmacy
• Internal medicine
• Advanced primary care
• Specialty pharmacy
• Pharmacogenomics

Required longitudinal experiences

• Primary care
• Drug information and healthcare education
• Pharmacy staffing at outpatient Geisinger Pharmacy
• Pharmacy administration and medication safety
• Research project
• Self-assessment and personal performance improvement
• Precepting and Learning Program in association with Wilkes University Nesbitt School of Pharmacy

Elective learning experiences

• Ambulatory hematology/oncology
• Ambulatory neurology
• Ambulatory hepatology
• Ambulatory rheumatology
• Pain management clinic
• Dermatology
• Ambulatory cardiology

Program requirements

• Poster presentation of medication use evaluation or research project at American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear meeting and platform presentation of major research project at Eastern States Conference
• Ambulatory clinical pharmacy presentations monthly via Skype and quarterly at regional meetings
• Active participation in medical home and provider meetings at primary sites; educational pearls at weekly huddles

For more information, contact:

Michael Kachmarsky, PharmD, BCACP
PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Director
Geisinger Mount Pleasant Clinic
531 Mount Pleasant Drive
Scranton, PA 18503