Jess de Jesus, PharmD, MBA, FACHE, serves as Chief Pharmacy Officer at UCLA Health.
On April 7th, Dr. de Jesus will serve on the pharmacy leadership forum "Key Thoughts on Controlling Pharmacy Costs - Lessons from Leadership" at Becker's Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place on April 6-9, 2020 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. de Jesus' session, click here.
Question: What do you see as the most exciting opportunity in healthcare right now?
Jess de Jesus: Pharmacogenomics is currently one of the most exciting opportunities in healthcare. Although it has been around for many years, the use of this science in healthcare is still in its early stages and fairly uncommon. The use of the patient’s genome to optimally treat and predict adverse drug events will ultimately improve drug therapy and patient outcome.
Q: What’s one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?
JdJ: One lesson that I learned early in my career in becoming a leader in healthcare is relationship building with key people within the organization. This is essential in getting organizational support which can lead to attaining optimal results.
Q: What, if anything, should hospitals be doing now given economists’ projections of a forthcoming economic downturn?
JdJ: Hospitals should not only focus on cost-saving initiatives but also carefully evaluate their existing service lines and change current processes and practices to enhance revenue opportunities. Hospitals should also focus on potential new service lines and business opportunities (i.e. starting own PBM) that could also improve the bottom line. We sometimes have to breakdown cultural barriers to do this but it is necessary to be fiscally viable in the future.