Patient Access Manager - San Francisco

Role Summary

Patient Access Manager (PAM) at Acadia, a key field-based expert supporting healthcare providers in navigating access and reimbursement for our therapies. Acts as a dedicated, trusted resource for on-label access-related questions, helping ensure patients receive timely and appropriate treatment. This non-promotional role collaborates with healthcare providers, specialty pharmacies, payers, patients, hub services, and internal cross-functional teams to remove barriers to care across the assigned geographic territory. Frequent travel is required.

Responsibilities

• Proactively educate healthcare providers on navigating programs, processes, and access-related requirements to facilitate patient access to Acadia products via in-person and virtual interactions.
• Serve as the subject matter expert in preventing and addressing access and reimbursement issues through education, problem-solving, and issue resolution ensuring solutions are optimized to support the patient’s access journey and deliver excellent customer experience.
• Proactively build and maintain access-related relationships with HCP accounts and their office support staff.
• Demonstrate deep market knowledge and apply this to navigating the patient access process, building and maintaining access-related knowledge, and supporting coverage and reimbursement requirements.
• Conduct proactive in-services with HCPs on all aspects of the access journey, including but not limited to coverage pathways, prior authorization, specialty pharmacy coordination, appeals, hub resources, and patient support services.
• Escalate local payer issues to National Account Managers and PAM Leads.
• Condense complex issues into simple solutions by collaborating cross-functionally to improve customer experience, educate HCPs/Office Staff on coverage status, prior authorization, and appeals.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of Acadia customer support programs and serve as the expert in the assigned territory.
• Provide proactive pre-referral educational in-services to prevent coverage barriers before referral.
• Provide post-referral support to HCP offices by addressing education needs, pulling through access and coverage for patients, and coordinating with Acadia customer support programs and specialty pharmacies to monitor referral status
• Support continuity of patient access by proactively educating HCP offices on reauthorization requirements, assisting with payer transitions, and offering program services to minimize therapy interruptions.
• Facilitate patient reimbursement and affordability by guiding offices through prior authorizations, appeals, and financial support options.
• Build relationships with pharmacy staff and share key insights.
• Provide expertise on regional and national payer plans to team members and PAM Leads.
• Support development and implementation of national-level initiatives to improve access and reimbursement strategies across brands.
• Champion and manage appropriate utilization of patient support services and ensure compliance with legal/regulatory requirements.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in life sciences preferred. Advanced degrees (RN, MSN, MBA) are a plus.
• Minimum of 4+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical sales, market access, national accounts, or specialty pharmacy. Deep expertise in access and reimbursement strategies.
• Medicare expertise strongly preferred with a strong background and understanding of field environment in healthcare industry.
• Equivalent combination of relevant education and applicable job experience may be considered.

Required Skills

• Track record of increased responsibilities.
• Strong history of successful cross functional collaboration.
• Demonstrated success in leading without authority.
• Experience working with provider offices such as physician practice, patient assistance programs, or similar pharmaceutical support programs strongly preferred.
• Patient-centric and service-oriented mindset.
• Exemplary interpersonal skills.
• Must display a patient-centric mentality with a high degree of emotional intelligence and empathy.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills.
• Understand HIPAA rules and regulations related to patient privacy.
• Strong written and verbal communications as well as presentation skills.
• Strong computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office products including Outlook, Excel, Word and Power Point.
• Ability to manage expenses within allocated budgets.
• Adaptable and open to an environment of change.
• Strong enthusiasm with a drive to succeed within a team.
• Ability to travel up to 60%.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, see, talk or hear in a standard office environment. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.