Associate Director/Director, Patient Services
Ardelyx is a publicly-traded commercial biopharmaceutical company founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx’s first approved product for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) is available in the United States and Canada. Ardelyx is developing XPHOZAH® (tenapanor), a novel product candidate to control serum phosphorus in adult patients with CKD on dialysis, which has completed three successful Phase 3 trials.
Associate Director/Director, Patient Services
The Associate Director/Director of Patient Services will be responsible for leading Ardelyx’s patient services hub for its first commercially launched product, IBSRELA® (tenapanor). This position is responsible for managing and overseeing the Ardelyx patient access and affordability programs by supporting patient-centric teams and leading the day-to-day operations. Success in this position will focus on enhancing and optimizing the patient and prescriber experience during the entire treatment cycle, from initial prescription through to the maintenance phase of therapy. This position is responsible for working cross-functionally with all external vendors and internal stakeholders (i.e., Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Trade, Compliance, Commercial Operations, and Legal) in order to support impactful strategies for patient services growth and development. The role also functions as a subject matter expert on reimbursement support services, stakeholder engagement, and will assist the Vice President of Access Strategies and Patient Services in the overall implementation of the Ardelyx patient services hub in preparation for product launch. This position reports to the Vice President of Access Strategies and Patient Services.
Responsibilities:
- Support the implementation (i.e., business rule development, team training, workflow mapping, etc.) of patient access programs as well as lead the day-to-day operations of the reimbursement hub with a focus on operational excellence and high-quality service.
- Maintain and uphold key performance indicators (KPI) for team members and stakeholders by holding all accountable through regular business reviews, team building exercises, training, and daily KPI reviews.
- Create a culture that aligns with Ardelyx’s core values (passionate, fearless, dedicated, and inclusive) through effective management of internal team members and external partnerships.
- Periodically review, maintain, and ensure compliance with all standard operating procedures (SOP) and business rules related to patient support services.
- Monitor volume trends and ensure adequate staffing is available to meet all patient service objectives and goals.
- Provide subject matter expertise on all patient services related topics by serving as a resource to all stakeholders (i.e. field sales team, prescribers, patients, marketing, etc.). Escalate any concerns to the appropriate parties where applicable.
- Partner with Ardelyx sales leadership and field sales teams to ensure best-in-class patient services and serve as primary liaison between the field and Patient Services partners.
- Ensure the tight integration of program development and continuous improvement of reimbursement hub operational processes and systems in order to deliver exceptional customer experience.
- Work closely with Trade & Distribution to ensure pharmacies within distribution network effectively address reimbursement needs of both patients and prescribers.
- Work with pertinent internal and external stakeholders to develop, implement, and maintain outreach programs to assist with adherence and improve patient engagement.
- Support the annual brand planning process with data driven reimbursement insights by demonstrating accountability and leadership to effectively and efficiently manage external partners and vendors performance.
Qualifications:
- A minimum of a B.A/B.S. required; Advanced degree within business or healthcare strongly preferred (PharmD, ARNP, PA, RN or MBA)
- 10+ years of experience within Patient Access Services (hub/call center), healthcare operations, and/or reimbursement services. Other backgrounds with related experience in reimbursement support, market access, or healthcare will be considered. Pharmaceutical industry experience strongly preferred.
- 5+ years of supervisory or managerial experience required, including managing remote teams and external vendors.
- Strong functional knowledge of health insurance and benefits (i.e. Medicare Part D, commercial and Medicaid) with a solid understanding of insurance eligibility, benefit verification, prior authorization processes, reimbursement coverage, appealing insurance denials, application of financial assistance, co-pay support and bridge programs.
- Extensive knowledge of HCP office processes regarding patient flow, prescription flow and clinic office operations. Direct experience with gastroenterology or nephrology products or providers preferred.
- Understanding of the legal and regulatory environment impacting patient services along with demonstrated integrity on the job.
- In depth knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturer compliance requirements and patient confidentiality (HIPAA regulations).
- Outstanding customer relationship, interpersonal, and communication skills with the established ability to effectively work with diverse audiences and influence cross functionally.
- Strong project management skills and abilities; comfortable managing multiple projects and delivering strong results.
- Strong interpersonal skills including ability to communicate effectively with people individually and groups; ability to communicate with technical and non-technical colleagues; experience establishing and maintaining effective relationships across departments.
- Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action in order to resolve issues and mitigate risks.
- Demonstrated being able to work well under pressure and handle multiple projects at one time.
- Self-motivated, high degree of initiative, high achievement and superb attention to detail.
- Strong verbal communications skills and demonstrated ability to write clearly and persuasively.
- Strong analytical skills with the proven ability to effectively analyze data to determine trends and inform strategy.
- High interest in working in the “roll up the sleeves” environment of a small biotechnology company, without the resources of larger companies.
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer without the need for sponsorship.
Work Environment:
- Corporate office based or field-based position with regular travel to Ardelyx corporate offices.
- Willingness to travel up to 30% of time within the U.S.
Ardelyx currently maintains a policy requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in accordance with CDC guidelines. Newly hired employees must be fully vaccinated prior to their employment start date.
Ardelyx is an equal opportunity employer and will provide reasonable accommodations for those unable to be vaccinated who qualify for exemption in accordance with applicable law.