Senior Patient Support Specialist - Kidney

Job Description

General Summary:

Vertex is currently building a case management team to support our upcoming journey to advance, develop, and deliver therapies to those living with serious kidney diseases. We are preparing for potential commercialization of investigational therapeutics being studied for the treatment of Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), additional B cell-mediated diseases, as well as other genetic kidney diseases. 

Vertex is seeking a patient-centric, dedicated, and collaborative case management professional to join its US Kidney Patient Support Program (KPSP). The Patient Support Specialist (PSS) would support KPSP-enrolled patients as a trusted guide along the treatment journey compliantly educating and providing resources to prevent and overcome access and other barriers for patients already prescribed a Vertex medicine.

This position is based out of our company headquarters in Boston, MA, in a hybrid model (3 days onsite, 2 days remote).

With our first potential kidney FDA approval in Q4 2026, additional responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the development of patient support work instructions, mapping case management process flows, and participating and leading cross-functional projects.  

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Service Expectations and Education
  • Build and maintain foundational knowledge of Vertex’s approved kidney treatments, treatment processes, and supplemental assistance programs to provide exceptional support to KPSP-enrolled patients and authorized family members and caregivers to effectively navigate the treatment journey.
  • Demonstrate emotional intelligence and apply motivational interviewing techniques to establish trust, identify patient needs, and evaluate access related barriers to treatment.
  • Anticipate and pursue opportunities throughout the treatment journey to compliantly provide Vertex treatment education and resources. Maintain confidentiality of patient health information and act in compliance with all laws, regulations, and Vertex policies. Apply program business rules and work instructions to deliver a consistent, exceptional patient experience.
• Partnership and Strategic Excellence
  • Manage diverse caseload of patients who have varying needs at different places in their treatment journey, including complex individual patient cases.
  • Work with contracted partners to coordinate injection training scheduling with patients.
  • Create a culture of compliant cross-functional collaboration when appropriately meeting with internal Vertex stakeholders, including sales representatives and field reimbursement teams, as well as external vendor partners.
  • Advance KPSP team capabilities by identifying, participating in and/or leading patient support projects as a subject matter expert.
  • Seek opportunities to contribute to district and national team performance, provide proactive and reactive frontline support to peers, and work collaboratively across districts to address challenges and achieve common goals.
• Access Knowledge and Reimbursement
  • Maintain a comprehensive understanding of commercial and government prescription insurance coverage requirements for access and payer trends.
  • Apply access and reimbursement knowledge to (1) counsel patients and authorized family members and caregivers on insurance benefits for their Vertex treatment (2) compliantly assist patients with accessing the prescribed Vertex treatment from initial prescription to subsequent refills.
  • Effectively escalate access, vendor, and pharmacy challenges, keeping appropriate stakeholders informed.
  • Assess patient eligibility for Vertex financial assistance programs, including copay assistance, patient assistance, and bridge programs.
  • Use customer relationship management (CRM) platform in daily interactions with patients, families, and stakeholders and rapidly learn and adapt to internal team processes.

Required Experience:

• Typically requires 3-4 years of healthcare, social services, or pharma/biotech experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in health care, social work, communications, or business field highly preferred

• Successful record in caseload or account management, reimbursement, and/or clinical education.
• Case management experience that includes communication with impacted families.
• Additional preferred experiences:
  • Having worked with the Kidney community, rare disease communities, or other chronic health conditions; commercial and government payer reimbursement.

• Patient-centric focus using emotional intelligence, listening, and empathy.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal; ability to clearly communicate complex reimbursement information to laypersons; comfortable engaging with diverse audiences ranging from patients/families to care center teams, cross-functional colleagues, and external vendors.
• Strong analytical skills: ability to derive insights from patients, health care professionals and staff, and internal team engagements.
• Ability to leverage data and reporting tools to manage caseload and prioritize patient needs.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, results-driven environment within a growing business unit.
  • Demonstrated ability to facilitate appropriate judgement in decision making and problem solving.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, Salesforce CRM
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time, including evenings and weekends as needed
• While the Company is usually closed on holidays, employees may be asked on occasion to work to meet organizational needs
• Experience in applying motivational interviewing techniques (preferred)

Pay Range:

$35 - $52

Disclosure Statement:

Flex Designation:

Hybrid-Eligible Or On-Site Eligible

Flex Eligibility Status:

In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as: 
1.    Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select
2.    On-Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.

Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time. 

#LI-Hybrid
 

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [email protected]