Retail Specialty Technician

US Lawns; Hilo, Northern (HI, KY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Holidays

Medical/Dental/Vision

401K match

Job summary

East Hawaii Health Pharmacy, located in Hilo, Hawaii, seeks a Pharmacy Specialty Technician to support daily operations in a busy retail pharmacy. You will assist with prior authorizations, patient assistance, cashiering, and medication delivery, while maintaining HIPAA compliance and excellent patient service.

Responsibilities include coordinating with providers and insurers, processing prescriptions, and handling cash and POS transactions.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Two years of experience as a pharmacy technician in a retail setting preferred.
• Current Hawaii Board of Pharmacy registration as a Pharmacy Technician is required or preferred depending on role.

Responsibilities

• Assist pharmacists and patients with insurance prior authorization requests.
• Assist with financial assistance requests for patients.
• Communicate with providers, insurers, and patients to obtain documentation.
• Track and follow up on pending authorizations to ensure timely resolution.
• Maintain accurate records of prior authorization activities.
• Greet and assist customers and patients professionally.
• Process prescriptions and OTC transactions at the POS system.
• Handle cash, credit card, and insurance co-payments per policy.
• Answer phones, check voicemails, and respond to non-clinical patient questions.
• Refer patient inquiries to the Pharmacist on duty as needed.
• Prepare prescriptions for dispensing and ensure timely delivery.
• Transport medications between pharmacy and delivery areas safely.
• Deliver prescriptions to patients (in facility or curbside).
• Restock shelves, organize medications, and monitor expiration dates.
• Assist with filing, scanning, and organizing prescription records.
• Support inventory by reporting shortages to the pharmacist.
• Maintain patient confidentiality per HIPAA and company policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Manager.

Skills

Strong organizational skills

Communication skills

Multitasking

Detail-oriented

HIPAA compliance

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Pharmacy software systems

Point-of-Sale systems

Job description

Job Description

Under the direct supervision of our licensed Pharmacist, the Pharmacy Specialty Technician plays a key role in supporting the daily operations of the retail pharmacy by performing administrative, clerical, and customer service duties. This role is responsible for assisting with prior authorization and patient assistance processes, answering phones, cashiering, transporting medications, and providing excellent customer service to patients and providers.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist pharmacists and patients with insurance prior authorization requests.
• Assist pharmacists and patients with financial assistance requests.
• Communicate with providers’ offices, insurance companies, and patients to obtain necessary documentation.
• Track and follow up on pending/expiring authorizations to ensure timely resolution.
• Maintain accurate and organized records of prior authorization activities.
• Greet/engage customers and patients in a professional, courteous manner.
• Process prescription and over-the-counter transactions accurately at the point-of-sale system.
• Handle cash, credit card, and insurance co-payment transactions in compliance with company policies.
• Answer phones, checks voicemails, and resolve non-clinical patient questions.
• Responds to the requests of the patients and providers, answering questions and referring various inquiries to the Pharmacist on duty.
• Process and prepare prescriptions for dispensing.
• Safely and timely transport medications between the pharmacy and delivery areas.
• Prepare prescriptions for delivery to patient (FedEx, USPS, courier, or delivery to clinic).
• Deliver prescriptions to patients as directed (within the facility or curbside).
• Assist in restocking shelves, organizing medications, and monitoring drug expiration dates.
• Assist with filing, scanning, and organizing prescription records.
• Help maintain inventory by checking stock levels and reporting shortages to the pharmacist.
• Maintaining patient confidentiality under HIPAA law and company policies.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Manager.

Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required.

Certification

• Valid certificate of registration as a registered pharmacy technician issued by Board of Pharmacy, State of Hawaii.
• Current certification in BLS Health Care Provider (adult, child, and infant) is preferred.
• Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) issued by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is preferred.

Experience

• Two (2) years of work experience as a pharmacy technician in a retail/community pharmacy setting. This experience must demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of a pharmacy technician’s scope of practice; knowledge of the procedures, policies and practices of a retail pharmacy operation; various third-party plans; pharmaceutical vocabulary; storage requirements; the ability to perform pharmaceutical calculations; current drug forms, dosage strengths, and generic/trade name and traditional equivalents.
• Experience in a high-volume pharmacy preferred.

Additional Skills

• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Basic computer proficiency; experience with pharmacy software systems preferred.
• Must be detail-oriented, reliable, and committed to patient confidentiality and compliance.

Company Description

East Hawaii Health Pharmacy is the East Hawaii Region's retail pharmacy located in the lobby of Hilo Medical Center. We offer prescription pick-up, refill, and over-the-counter items for our patients and families, including a “Meds to Beds” program that delivers prescriptions to patients in the hospital before they are discharged.

Benefits

• 20 days of paid time off (PTO)
  • Will increase after five years of service
• 10 state holidays
• Medical, dental, vision, and prescription plans
• Participation in a 401(K) retirement account with a 4% match after 90 days of employment

About Hilo & The Big Island

Hilo is located on the east side of the island of Hawaii, and has a quaint, old-Hawaii, small town atmosphere. Our island offers amazing rainforests, waterfalls and beaches. The hospital staff is community-oriented and strive to provide competent and compassionate care to every patient that enters our doors.The area is home to the Hawaii Community College, University of Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, excellent schools and convenient shopping.

Pre-Employment Assessments for External Candidates

As part of the recruiting process for this position, external applicants (job applicants NOTemployed byHHSC’s East Hawaii Region)are required to complete pre-employment assessments shortly after application submission. If you are notan employee of the East Hawaii Region of HHSC, youwill receive an email containing assessment instructions. We ask that you complete the assessments within two days of receipt of the request.

Pre-Employment Health Requirements

Offers of employment will be contingent on successfully passing a pre-employment examination, which includes a drug screen and other regulatory medical requirements such as, but not limited to, a tuberculosis (TB) screen. The cost for drug screening and blood draw for QuantiFERON and Titers, shall be borne by the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.

EHHP - Drug Free, Equal Opportunity Employer, E-Verify

East Hawaii Health Pharmacy is a drug-free workplace, an Equal Opportunity Employer, and conducts employment verification through E-Verify.