A Day in the Life: Beth Baran, a Case Manager at CoverMyMeds

Beth Baran never thought she would end up working in healthcare. The world — and career paths — can twist and turn in funny ways.

A proud Ohio State Buckeye graduate, Beth worked in a variety of jobs after college. She started off selling radio ads and cars and then worked for Online Computer Library Center, connecting libraries across the world through their databases.

After taking time away to raise her children, Beth jumped back into the workforce and discovered something she didn’t expect.

What led you to CoverMyMeds?

When I returned to the full-time workforce, I was in human resources at a startup and a friend was the CFO. I spent three years there, but I was eventually ready to do something different. However, there were no opportunities I aligned with.

I knew several people at CoverMyMeds, and they absolutely loved the company. I was hired as an account coordinator in 2017, and I loved how different the culture was; it’s not your father or grandfather’s company. It’s something completely different and that’s what I love about it.

What does a case manager at CoverMyMeds do?

We’re the liaison for patient assistance programs (PAPs) — coordinating with doctor’s offices to access specific PAP enrollment forms and then getting our patients started on therapy. It’s our job to make sure the paperwork is complete, and we reach out to doctors and patients for information if needed.

We also do benefits verification — calling the patient’s insurance plan to confirm they have coverage and to see if a prior authorization is needed for their prescription. Case managers watch for lab results and track them, and the doctor will tell us when the patient’s ready to start taking medication.

We coordinate so many different spokes on the wheel and make sure nothing falls through the cracks, while also troubleshooting challenges along the way. Once a patient starts therapy, we work with their specialty pharmacy — that is, a pharmacy that provides medications to treat rare or complex health challenges — to make sure everything’s going smoothly.

Before CoverMyMeds, did you have any prior healthcare experience?

I did not have any experience in healthcare, but I’d always thought — maybe just a little bit — about working in healthcare. My husband is a pharmacist, and he started out in retail pharmacy before transitioning to a pharmacy benefit management organization. I’d heard a lot about the work he was doing and was really interested in it. I’m so excited we’re now in the same industry! We can come home and compare notes about our jobs and it’s just great.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I'm on the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. The first thing I do is log into the phones and the dashboard — and away we go!

Some days, I may not have a ton of tasks to do, but that can quickly change with the first phone call I receive. A patient may have trouble getting medication from a specialty pharmacy and that can lead to other calls. I have different tasks every day and no two days are the same.

I also want to be available to help the other case managers who have heavier workloads. Some may be newer, and they may need help understanding the tips and tricks more seasoned case managers are familiar with.

Can you tell us a little about your hobbies and interests outside of work?

I like to think I’m pretty low-key. My husband and I hang out with our friends a lot. We do dinners and have dinner parties at each other’s homes, go for happy hours and just spend time together. My in-laws are older and live two to three hours away, so we spend time with them as well.

My son is a junior at Kent State and my daughter just graduated from Ohio State in December, so they’re both busy kids! But we love to spend time with them the most.

If you could switch jobs with anyone at CoverMyMeds for a day, who would it be and why?

I just said this to my husband the other day. My perfect job — or dream job — would be to retire as a case manager and work part-time on the CoverMyMeds culinary team! I just love what they do and what they bring to our company. They’re amazing.

What’s your favorite thing about working as a case manager?

I love helping the patients.

When I was an account coordinator, I didn’t work with the patients. In that role, you work with everyone except the patients. That was the biggest selling point for this job. I absolutely love it. You learn life lessons from them when you talk to them every day. They’re just incredible.

When they get frustrated and need medication, my No. 1 priority is to do everything it takes so they can get what they need.

What skill do you think every case manager should have?

Compassion is the most important thing, without question. You need to have compassion for the patients. We have no idea what they’re dealing with — and on top of that — it’s about patience. To get your cases to run smoothly, a person in my job also needs to have organization skills because so many things can happen, and you must be ready for them. I’d say those are the most important things.

What makes CoverMyMeds your best place to work and grow?

It’s amazing to be around a very diverse group of people. From ages to backgrounds, and so on … everyone is so driven and so helpful. We get everything done because our people are so hard-working. As an older adult, I love to see our young people have the same work ethic and drive to help patients in any way they can, and in any capacity they can. That makes this such a wonderful place to work.

Want to work at CoverMyMeds? Explore our open positions on our careers page.