Director, Patient Access — Rare Disease Access Leader

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy; Robinson (PA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with employer matching

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible scheduling

Job summary

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is seeking a Director of Patient Access in Pittsburgh, PA, to lead day-to-day patient access workflows for a portfolio of ~25 specialty medications and a team of 80–100 staff across benefits verification, prior authorizations, financial assistance, and copay support.

You will implement manufacturer contracts, translate terms into SOPs, and partner with Compliance, IT, and Product to ensure fast, compliant access to therapy.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Six (6) years of experience in healthcare.
• Five (5) years of experience in managing teams.
• Masters degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, Nursing, or related field.
• Seven (7) years in patient access, pharmacy services, or specialty healthcare; three years in leadership.
• Strong operational knowledge of specialty pharmacy access processes including benefits verification, prior authorization, copay support, and hub programs.
• Experience implementing patient access workflows aligned with manufacturer programs or contracts.
• Excellent organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong understanding of payer policies, access barriers, and financial assistance resources.
• Familiarity with CRM or case management platforms and access reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a high-performing team across benefits verification, prior authorization, and copay assistance.
• Ensure team performance aligns with KPIs such as speed to therapy, PA turnaround time, patient onboarding success, and adherence to manufacturer expectations.
• Supports staff development, training, and quality assurance processes to maintain excellence and compliance.
• Monitors staffing levels, workflow distribution, and productivity to ensure optimal performance and scalability.
• Navigates and resolves operational challenges with a proactive, solutions-focused mindset.
• Oversees operational implementation of new manufacturer agreements and specialty drug launches in coordination with business development and the implementation team.
• Translates contract terms, SLAs, and access program requirements into executable workflows and SOPs.
• Serves as the patient access leader for onboarding new products, ensuring seamless integration with existing systems, staffing plans, and reporting protocols.
• Maintains strong relationships with internal stakeholders (Product Management) to ensure contractual obligations with pharmaceutical manufacturers are fulfilled consistently.
• Continuously evaluates and improves patient access workflows for speed, quality, compliance, and efficiency.
• Drives execution of complex programs with a commitment to meeting deadlines and exceeding service expectations.
• Maintains up-to-date documentation and SOPs aligned with both regulatory requirements and manufacturer expectations.
• Partners with compliance, training, and IT teams to ensure accurate data collection, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Proactively identifies and resolves issues that may impact access performance or patient satisfaction.
• Continuously improves workflows to deliver better results for patients and partners.
• Ensures SOPs and day-to-day execution adhere to payer, regulatory, and contractual standards.
• Collaborates closely with Pharmacy Operations, Revenue Cycle, Product, and IT teams to ensure end-to-end patient support and alignment with broader business objectives.
• Supports system implementations or enhancements (e.g., CRM, workflow automation) to improve team performance and reporting capabilities.
• Represents Patient Access in cross-functional meetings and project workstreams related to drug onboarding, process change, or performance review.
• Communicates clearly and effectively across teams and with frontline staff.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, Nursing, or related field

Tools

CRM platforms

Case management systems

Job description

PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy is seeking a Director of Patient Access in Pittsburgh, PA, to lead day-to-day patient access workflows for a portfolio of ~25 specialty medications and a team of 80–100 staff across benefits verification, prior authorizations, financial assistance, and copay support.

You will implement manufacturer contracts, translate terms into SOPs, and partner with Compliance, IT, and Product to ensure fast, compliant access to therapy.