Meet the Faculty: Lauren, PharmD, Population Health Pharmacist in Managed Care

Meet Lauren! Lauren is a 2007 PharmD graduate of the University of the Sciences.  Lauren started with a Philadelphia-based Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM), as a pharmacist in the Formulary department managing drug benefits for three Medicaid health plans. She then transitioned to a role in Medication Therapy Management (MTM), overseeing patient and provider outreaches to create positive changes in members’ drug regimens.  After working in MTM, she became the Director of Drug Therapy Management Programs & Outcomes.  As Director, Lauren developed award-winning pharmacist-driven outreach strategies that improved the health of target populations. Under her leadership, the PBM’s Drug Therapy Management Program received URAC accreditation for Drug Therapy Management services. 

Currently, Lauren is the Director of Clinical Services.  With her roles in formulary management and MTM, Lauren has the opportunity to affect large member populations with functions such as: 

• Assessing new medications and their clinical and financial impact to the populations they manage

• Creating and modifying prior authorization criteria to allow access while ensuring products are available in accordance with practice

        guidelines

• Reviewing utilization trends and instituting changes within health plans 

• Developing MTM programs that improve the health of target populations

• Addressing social determinants of health within patient and provider outreach programs 

• Implementing cost-savings strategies while ensuring proper placement of medications on formularies 

Lauren decided to become pharmacist to ensure her members are on the right medications. As a managed care pharmacist, she has the benefit of being able to apply this knowledge on a larger scale and affect more members applying population health management strategies.  Lauren also proudly serves as the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) diplomat for the Jefferson College of Pharmacy where she has been influential in raising awareness of managed care pharmacy and showing student pharmacists what her career path can offer.  For her efforts, she was awarded the 2021 AMCP Diplomat of the Year Award!  

Lauren will be teaching the Pharmacy Benefit Design Course.  For information about the Jefferson College of Pharmacy Population Health Pharmacy program, please visit jefferson.edu/pophealthpharmacy or contact Emily Hajjar, PharmD (Emily.hajjar@jefferson.edu)