Christina York

Christina’s Story

Christina York is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. She leads an anticoagulation management service, oversees associated accreditation/quality standards, and serves as department liaison to cardiovascular and stroke services. Her consult service received the Innovative Practice of the Year award in 2015 by Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

After graduating as salutatorian with her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee, she completed her clinical training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as Chief Resident. She is currently pursuing her Lean certification in Healthcare through Mississippi State University, as well as her Master of Business Administration through the University of Mississippi. She also serves as a Clinical Preceptor of Cardiology for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, and is board certified in Pharmacotherapy by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.

Prior to her current position, she served as staff pharmacist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she led several operational initiatives involving the 340B drug pricing program and USP797 standards, and also conducted research on the relationship between technology utilization and medication errors.

Christina currently serves on the Section Advisory Group for Patient Care Quality, working on educational and networking opportunities for the profession.

Facility

Mississippi Baptist Medical Center (MBMC), a 500+ bed Joint Commission accredited hospital in central Mississippi, has played a vital role in Mississippi's healthcare since 1911. The hospital participates in over 18 external quality benchmarks and currently has seven disease specific certifications. These include: Acute Coronary Syndrome; Inpatient Diabetes – Advanced; Primary Stroke Center – Advanced; Heart Failure; Coronary Artery Bypass Graft; Prematurity; and Breast Cancer. For 2015, Baptist has been recognized by HealthGrades as among the Top Two Percent in the Nation for Patient Safety and Patient Experience.

The pharmacy department at MBMC provides a broad spectrum of clinical services, including pharmacokinetics/antimicrobial stewardship, nutrition support, anticoagulation, and a Joint Commission accredited diabetes management program. Central Pharmacy utilizes automation to support IV compounding and unit dose selection. The department also supports inpatient and outpatient Oncology services through a satellite pharmacy.

Significant Projects

As an extension of her anticoagulation consult service, Christina’s focus over the past two years has been prevention and improvement in care for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Through prospective monitoring for patients with new VTE, her team has increased the VTE-5 core measure from 36% to 95%. They have also introduced parenteral anticoagulation stewardship, through an in-house study demonstrating the need for greater monitoring of low molecular weight heparins in select populations. Christina is currently leading an institution-wide effort to reduce hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism in the medical and surgical populations.

Advice for Someone New to Your Specialty Area

“Reach across departmental barriers for collaboration and mentorship, and offer the same in return. Remember that you are on the same team, share a common goal, and will succeed if you work together.”

Involvement in ASHP

“I became involved with ASHP to learn best practices and develop a professional network with pharmacy leaders across the country, as well as to share my experiences with others.”

ASHP’s Value to Members

“It is important to be informed of issues beyond your own institution or region of the country. AJHP consistently provides thought-provoking material on issues pertinent to my interests and career development. Also, becoming involved in a Section Advisory Group helps establish personal connections and encourages continual learning.”