Lisa Blanchette

Her Story

Dr. Blanchette received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Connecticut and went on to complete her PGY1 Pharmacy Practice residency training at Boston Medical Center, followed by PGY2 Infectious Diseases residency training at Hartford Healthcare. Dr. Blanchette also received her Master of Healthcare Administration from Pfeiffer University.

Dr. Blanchette currently serves as the Director of Pharmacy, Specialty & Infusion, at Novant Health Winston-Salem, and is responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of health-system specialty pharmacies as well as infusion pharmacy services.

Facility

Novant Health is a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system that serves patients and communities in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Novant Health includes 17 not-for-profit acute care medical centers and 607 outpatient locations including outpatient surgery centers, neighborhood medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging centers and community health outreach programs. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Novant Health is committed to serving approximately 6 million patients annually.

Novant Health pharmacy consists of over 600 team members supporting acute, ambulatory, infusion, and specialty pharmacy care areas. Novant Health specialty pharmacies dispense approximately 45,000 prescriptions annually to support a full-spectrum of disease state services. Novant Health specialty pharmacy maintains dual URAC and ACHC accreditations.

Recent Significant Projects

A recent project includes expansion of Novant Health specialty pharmacy access points through opening of two new specialty pharmacies within our health-system footprint. Our new pharmacies are embedded within cancer center practices to provide convenient, personalized care to our oncology patients. In addition to supporting dual accreditation of our new pharmacy sites, we have also successfully completed dual re-accreditation cycles for our existing locations.

Additional projects have included completion of product margin assessment to implement targeted growth strategies for capturing specialty prescriptions within our Novant Health medical group and increasing partnership with managed care teams within the organization to open up unique payer contracting opportunities and total cost of care pilots for the specialty pharmacies.

Initial Involvement in ASHP

I currently serve as a member on the ASHP Section Advisory Group for Specialty Pharmacy Business Development.

Why did you become involved in ASHP?

I became involved in ASHP because of the organization's robust commitment to the profession of pharmacy, the opportunity to engage more deeply in pharmacy residency program training, and the networking opportunities.

Advice for Someone New to the Specialty Area

Specialty pharmacy is an exciting and diverse niche within pharmacy. It is constantly changing and will challenge you to continue learning in both the clinical and business aspects of pharmacy practice.

How would you explain the value of ASHP to a friend or colleague?

ASHP delivers value through opportunities to engage with the broader pharmacy community, invest in your own professional development, and share best practices from around the country.

What is the value of ASHP for the profession?

ASHP is deeply committed to supporting the profession of pharmacy through accreditation and standardization of residency program training as well as through offerings for certifications, professional development, and networking. ASHP is also helping to form the future direction of pharmacy through legislative advocacy and bringing together thought-leaders and subject matter experts in Section Advisory Group offerings.