Blue Devil of the Week: Keeping Tabs on Pharmaceuticals

“I probably have one of the most dynamic jobs in the Duke Department of Pharmacy because I get to work in three different fields. I look at drug expense management from a supply chain management perspective – contracting and purchasing of all the pharmaceuticals for Duke University Hospital – and I also coordinate some of that work for the entire Health System. From a safety and quality standpoint, I have responsibility of the compounding operation site in Duke South, which is high-production facility where we prepare sterile and nonsterile medications. I also work on medication safety initiatives and policies and how medications are delivered to patients. We support Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Homecare and Hospice as well with their medication needs.

I get to do a mix of everything, which I love, because I don’t get bored. The people I work with are the most enjoyable part of my work. Without the team, we would not be able to provide excellent care and service. I was just in the Duke University Hospital operating rooms working with operating room pharmacists on some safety proposals that we’ve received from anesthesia providers and surgeons. Our team has also been working with Health System Procurement on contracting IV solutions. We’re always looking at ways to reduce drug expenses without compromising quality and safety. In the media, there are all kinds of things about drug prices skyrocketing. The pharmacy leadership team has been working very hard to streamline our formulary medications and reduce drug expenses by choosing the lowest-cost alternative that is equal to other products in terms of safety and efficacy.”

Kuldip Patel
Associate chief pharmacy officer, Duke Department of Pharmacy
6 years at Duke

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