Meet Your Neighbor: Say Hello to CoverMyMeds’ Patient Services Team
Helping people get the medicine they need to live healthier lives is undeniably a group effort. Our Patient Services team is the company’s front-line, first-response group of employees who provide support to providers, pharmacists and — of course — patients. Meet four people at CoverMyMeds who help make the important work we do possible.
Our company’s shared purpose is to help people get the medicine they need to live healthier lives, and that goal wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of our dedicated teams and diligent employees.
It’s undeniably a group effort, and every business unit plays an important part. That’s why — in 2022 — we’re kicking off a new series called “Meet Your Neighbor,” in which we’ll spotlight specific teams at CoverMyMeds and a few employees with varying roles on each one.
To get things started, we sat down with four key people from our Patient Services team:
- Lisa Rogers, senior director
- Sarah O’Neal, pod lead
- Alex Glessner, account coordinator
- Estephany Castillo, account specialist
First, a bit of background: Our Patient Services team assists patients with questions and provides a proactive service to physicians and pharmacists, helping to efficiently move prior authorization (PA) requests through the pipeline to determination.
As of March 2022, there are about 300 employees on the Patient Services team. And yes, they’re hiring! Now, let’s dive deeper.
Can you give me an overview of your role at CoverMyMeds?
Lisa Rogers: I’m the senior director of Patient Services. I’ve been with the company since November 2020. I’m in charge of our account coordinators and managing the day-to-day operations of our team, as well as representing the CoverMyMeds brand to our users. It’s hard to fully explain what my role entails from day-to-day — my days and weeks always look different!
Sarah O’Neal: I’m currently a pod lead on our Patient Services team, which is a direct supervisor role. I lead a team of 12 account coordinators. My day-to-day is focused on enabling their professional development and helping to resolve errors with PA requests. I also dig into analytics and provide insights that enable our teams and our customers to continually optimize operations.
Alex Glessner: I’m an account coordinator on our Patient Services team. We’re the company’s front-line employees who interact with PA requests, and I help to resolve errors and work to support positive outcomes for the patient. I typically start each day taking inbound calls from providers, and then I spend time on the phone with prescribers, pharmacies and insurance plans moving PA requests through the pipeline to the PA determination. I also work with our Learning and Development team to help train new hires.
Estephany Castillo: As an account specialist, one of my biggest responsibilities is checking the status of PA requests for patients. I typically spend a couple hours on the phone every day with pharmacists and health plans, helping move PA requests to the next step. After that, I help match PA requests with enrollment forms for financial assistance programs that offer patients additional support to access and afford their medicine.
Meet Your Neighbor: Patient Services
- How many? 300 employees in a wide range of roles
- What do they do? Help CoverMyMeds technology users process prior authorizations
- Where? Largely based in Columbus, Ohio with some remote workers
- Why? The faster PAs are determined, the faster patients get their medications
Patient Services is one of our biggest teams, and it’s often an entry point for employees at CoverMyMeds.
What can a new employee on the Patient Services team expect?
Lisa Rogers: Patient Services is one of our biggest teams, and it’s often an entry point for employees at CoverMyMeds. As far as prerequisites go, we typically look for people with solid communication skills who are willing to learn. We have an excellent onboarding process that includes hands-on training. We really try to set our employees up for success.
Sarah O’Neal: I started as an account coordinator three years ago and grew into the pod lead role. Although it’s helpful to have a healthcare background, it’s not necessary. CoverMyMeds provides new employees with six weeks of training to teach them about the PA process, and about the set of medications they’ll be working on — we want our account coordinators to be subject matter experts about the electronic prior authorization process so they can best serve those who depend on us.
Alex Glessner: Before coming to CoverMyMeds, I was a marketing manager at a window company with no healthcare experience. There’s a lot to learn at the beginning, but CoverMyMeds provides employees with a ton of support and resources. Everyone on the team is willing to help with questions, whether you’ve been here one week or one year.
Estephany Castillo: Lots of learning, no doubt! Prior to joining CoverMyMeds in May 2021, I had zero healthcare experience. Less than a year later, I feel like an expert when it comes to the insurance industry and PA process. There is a learning curve, for sure, but new employees get a ton of support.
I’ve had people tell me on the phone, ‘oh my gosh, I love you guys — I love what you do.’ It’s the best motivation ever.
What’s your favorite part about working on the Patient Services team?
Lisa Rogers: This one’s easy — our culture, bar none! We put a huge emphasis on leadership development. Instead of being competitive, we constantly lift each other up and celebrate our team’s wins. It’s a great environment to work in.
Sarah O’Neal: Now, as a pod lead, my favorite thing is to witness the growth of my team members. I’ve been in my current role for almost two years, and I only have one “OG” team member left. Everyone else has ventured into new roles and new business units, expanding their skillsets. It’s cool to watch them continue their professional journeys at CoverMyMeds.
Alex Glessner: It’s super fulfilling to see the physical impact of our shared purpose every day — it’s one thing I really love. If we didn’t intervene to assist with PA errors, a provider might just get a letter from an insurance company stating that a patient is no longer covered for a prescription medication, and that person may never start on therapy. I also appreciate that employees are trusted to manage their own time and daily schedule — it’s refreshing to own your professional development, while also feeling supported.
Estephany Castillo: Seeing the PA requests get approved in real-time — it’s so gratifying to see our impact on paper, so to speak. I’ve had people tell me on the phone, “oh my gosh, I love you guys — I love what you do.” It’s the best motivation ever.
If you could switch jobs with anybody at CoverMyMeds for a day, who would it be?
Lisa Rogers: Ohhh, that’s a good question. Part of me is like... Chrissy Hand, SVP of operations. But that’s a really big job! Actually, I’d love to be an account coordinator for a week — to hit the phones and work the system. I’d learn so much about their experience from a day-to-day perspective.
Sarah O’Neal: That’s such a good question! I think I’d switch with Sara Santo, our culinary team’s head chef. Everyone’s in love with Sara. She’s so creative with our campus menus, and there’s so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into her job. I also have a dietetics background, which I think would come in handy.
Alex Glessner: Mike Bukach, our director of employee engagement. He seems like he has a great time helping to plan company events and team-building activities. That’s something I really appreciate about CoverMyMeds. We set aside time for employees to kick back and have fun with each other.
Estephany Castillo: Marylee Dunbar, our Columbus campus barista! She gets to create delicious coffee drinks and put a smile on every employee’s face. My personal favorites are the pumpkin spice latte or mocha latte — I love all the seasonal flavors.
Patient Services is truly our company’s front-line, critical-thinking, first-response group of employees who provide support to providers, pharmacists and — of course — patients.
In your words, how does the Patient Services team advance the CoverMyMeds mission?
Lisa Rogers: We always remind our employees that at the end of every PA is a patient — a real person. The Patient Services team has a low rate of attrition, and I attribute much of that success to the satisfaction that comes from helping people.
Sarah O’Neal: Patient Services is truly our company’s front-line, critical-thinking, first-response group of employees who provide support to providers, pharmacists and — of course — patients. We build relationships with our technology users and help them through the PA process. Every interaction ends in a resolution, which is great motivation.
Alex Glessner: My role directly impacts patient lives, which gives me purpose in my work. And as a growing company, we’re always encouraged to innovate. Since we’re hands-on in the CoverMyMeds technology every day, we’re able to offer suggestions to our developers so they can create application improvements. The better our technology is, the better we can help people, so that collaboration is key.
Estephany Castillo: Our solutions connect the entire care team — providers, pharmacists and health plans — and provide visibility into the PA’s journey. Our technology users can see when PA requests are submitted, approved or denied. It’s a faster, more efficient way to get patients on therapy with fewer process roadblocks.
__Want to join our Patient Services team? They’re hiring! Browse through open positions on the CoverMyMeds careers page. __
