Humana’s postgraduate year one (PGY1) managed care pharmacy residency program

Humana’s goal is to help people achieve lifelong well-being by offering a wide range of insurance products and health/wellness services to support members’ physical, emotional, and social needs. CenterWell Pharmacy™ and Humana Pharmacy Solutions, Inc. are accredited by multiple organizations and have received many awards.

The residency program offers an enriching environment where pharmacy residents collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to support Humana Medicare and Medicaid members in achieving their best health. The program is structured to provide learning opportunities across various facets of pharmaceutical care at the population health level. Residents gain invaluable experience in an integrated health plan and pharmacy benefit management corporate setting, which prepares them for successful careers as managed care pharmacists.

Humana recruited their first resident and began the process to become an accredited residency program in 1997. Since then, Humana has hosted residents from thirty-three colleges of pharmacy located in twenty-two states and Washington, D.C. Including the 2023-2024 residency program graduates, 52/54 (96%) participants have been awarded a certificate of completion. Although job placement is not guaranteed, a notable 39/52 (75%) of residency training program alumni have worked as Humana employees after program completion.

Program purpose

Humana’s PGY1 managed care pharmacy residency program develops future managed care leaders. Using the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) PGY1 program purpose, Humana’s program supports training pharmacists to provide a solid foundation in population-based pharmaceutical care. It supports training the next generation of managed care pharmacists to support the best health outcomes for patients. Upon graduation from the program, residents are qualified to take the Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) board certification exam and/or pursue postgraduate year two (PGY2) pharmacy residency training. ASHP in partnership with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) accredits Humana’s PGY1 managed care pharmacy residency program.

Managed care pharmacy residents at Humana enjoy all of the benefits provided to full-time Humana employees, including but not limited to:

• Competitive compensation
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Life, long-term care, and disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off and holidays
• Paid volunteer day and personal day
• Charitable gift matching
• Employee assistance program
• Discount programs with major retailers

In addition to benefits provided to full-time Humana employees, residents also receive:

• Professional organization membership dues (e.g., AMCP, ASHP)
• Conference travel (e.g., registration fees, flights, hotels, meals)
• No on call or staffing requirements

Learning experiences

Core learning experiences with each team are typically two to four weeks in duration. Key strategy and operational focus areas include:

• Clinical policy and formulary management (e.g., pharmacy and medical trend, pipeline, clinical formulary administration, clinical formulary and medical drug strategies) – Participate in clinical programs/products, formulary strategy/management, policy development, and drug pipeline/trend management.
• Specialty pharmacy (e.g., CenterWell specialty pharmacy clinical team, stewardship programs and infusion strategies) – Participate in a comprehensive approach to managing specialty drugs within a managed care environment, including clinical strategy, clinical programs, and business development.
• Clinical operations (e.g., Humana clinical pharmacy review) – Participate in reviewing prior authorization requests and non-formulary exception requests and/or appeals. Gain experience with the application of Lean Six Sigma to support clinical processes.
• Clinical programs (e.g., medication therapy management strategy, clinical programs, stars and clinical programs, pharmacy growth and product team) – Participate in clinical programs to improve medication usage and safety, and associated Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) and The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) star ratings.

Longitudinal learning experiences are at least twelve weeks in duration (overlapping scheduled core rotations):

• Teaching certificate – Complete ASHP’s online teaching certificate courses to develop practice-related educational skills including preceptorship of Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE) students. Develop a teaching philosophy and create a customized teaching portfolio.
• Research project & manuscript – Complete a research project with an internal research team including experienced research professionals, statisticians, and clinicians; present results as a poster at an external meeting (e.g., AMCP Annual). Prepare a manuscript draft for potential submission to a peer-reviewed journal for publication consideration.
• Professional development and leadership – Further your leadership skills through various professional opportunities including, but not limited to, topics of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution.
• Clinical Drug Evalutation & Policy Strategies – Review new medications on the pharmacy and medical benefit for place in therapy, clinical or safety advantages, recommendations for formulary placement and utilization management; present at Pharmacy & Therapeutics committee meetings.

A dynamic elective learning block is built into the schedule; this flexible component of the trainings allows residents to tailor their experience to areas that pique their professional curiosity and/or align with their career aspirations. Elective offerings vary year-to-year based upon resident interest, preceptor availability, and evolving business needs. Previous examples include but are not limited to clinical formulary administration, CenterWell specialty pharmacy clinical team, stewardship programs & infusion strategies, and pipeline.

Preceptors are instrumental in developing residents into future managed care pharmacy leaders. Humana takes pride in primary preceptors’ exceptional qualifications. All primary preceptors completed post-doctorate training (e.g., residency, fellowship), have an additional advanced degree (e.g., MBA, MPA, MS, PhD), are board certified (e.g., BCPS, BCOP, BCGP), and/or have at least ten years of professional experience; the rich experience and practical knowledge of Humana primary preceptors enhances the advanced learning environment to support residents’ journey of professional and personal growth.

Planned in person residency showcase locations for 2024 include:

• October 16 (5-7:30pm in Las Vegas NV) Table #8 at AMCP Nexus
• December 10 (1-4pm in New Orleans, LA) Booth #6575 at ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting

The 52-week postgraduate training program is planned to begin on June 30, 2025. Applications will be accepted in the Pharmacy Online Residency Centralized Application Service (PhORCAS) through January 2, 2025. To ensure a smooth application process, we recommend that candidates prepare materials well in advance of the deadline.

To apply, visit: PhORCAS .

Applicants must include the following information:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Three professional letters of recommendation
• Official transcript from an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited school of pharmacy (separate undergraduate transcripts are not required but may be submitted)
• Letter of intent explaining in 500 words or less why you are pursuing a managed care pharmacy residency and what you hope to gain from Humana’s program.

Candidates must be licensed or eligible for licensure in state or jurisdiction in which the residency program is conducted. Select candidates will be invited to participate in on-site and/or virtual interviews.

Program location: Louisville, Kentucky

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