Saluting Our Nurses
May 6, 2021
Every May, we celebrate nurses — registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses and others — who have dedicated their work to helping others. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina employs hundreds of nurses who help our members every day.
Meet a few of our stellar nurses making a difference for our members.
Shannon Amick, RN, certified case manager, supervisor in care management
I came to BlueCross with 12 years of experience working in the hospital setting. I have always loved caring for and helping people when they need it most. I was able to use my medical/surgical experience when I started here preauthorizing hospital admissions. In this role, I learned more about discharge planning and case management and knew that was what I wanted to do. I advanced to a supervisory position later. I have been a supervisor for 11 years, and I am happy to say I still get to learn something new every day.
I love that we make a difference in members’ lives by assisting them and the providers caring for them. For the last 22 years, I have been able to develop new skills that have allowed me to grow as a nurse, a case manager and now as a supervisor. I work with a great team of nurses, coaches and customer service advocates who care about each other and our members. I feel valued as an employee working for BlueCross within the Healthcare Innovation and Improvement division!
Jozette Cook-White, MSN, MHA, RN, CCM, medical review director with CGS® Administrators LLC
As a medical review team member, I use my nursing skills and training daily in translating medical record documentation. My training allows me to understand the clinical picture of what occurred during the beneficiary/patient encounter for claims payment decisions. My 25 years of nursing with management and leadership experience allow me to better lead and work with my team.
I enjoy the autonomy and ability to use a blend of my clinical and nonclinical experience in my current role.
James Wall, MBA, BSN, RN, medical review manager with CGS Administrators LLC
More than 40 years ago, I found nursing combined my scientific aptitude with my appreciation of the humanities. I have worked in substance abuse treatment, trauma surgery intensive care, pharmaceutical research, home health, case management and clinical documentation improvement. I cannot think of another profession that allows for this type of varied experience. My knowledge of pathophysiology and treatment modalities is helpful with the policy work I am involved with in my current role. The people I work with make it all come together for me. They are talented and supportive. I feel I have a truly wonderful team of dedicated professionals to work with every day.
I find helping others is paramount to any other reason I love my job. Whether it has been direct patient care or revenue recovery for community and rural hospitals, my nursing career has allowed me to be a part of caring for others. To have touched thousands of people’s health care is humbling. I am grateful for my small part.
Juanita Graham, RN, care management manager
As a nurse, you learn to focus your attention on the needs of others. You learn to put people first. You have the opportunity to display true compassion and individualized care. You develop critical thinking and assessment skills that can easily transition from the bedside to a corporate setting. The experience you gain as a nurse lays a nice foundation for a career in the health insurance industry.
In September, I will have been with BlueCross for 24 years. The company’s values — communication, responsibility, people, service, quality, innovation and integrity — are important to me. I love working for a company that holds these as core values. BlueCross displays these same core qualities for its employees. There are opportunities to grow and advance with this company. You bring your skills to the company, but you also learn and further your professional education. We have great people here who are genuinely dedicated to providing quality care for our members. I get to witness and participate in this every day.
Erika Jeter, MSN, RN, coordinator in managed care
In my 14-year tenure as a registered nurse, I have worked in various areas, including emergency rooms, intensive care, psychiatric care and case management. Working for BlueCross, I use skills from every area I’ve worked. This has been the most mentally challenging career I have ever had — in a good way! The family atmosphere and inclusive environment are a couple reasons I absolutely love this company. BlueCross has changed my life, and I am able to change lives one member at a time.
Artralia Portee, BSN, RN, medical review manager
I have been a nurse for seven years and use those same skills in my work here. When I first started out as a reviewer, I had to use my critical thinking skills. I still use these in my current role as manager. As a medical reviewer, you create pictures about the clinical documentation you have to make decisions, and being a nurse with a strong clinical background is essential.
I really enjoy my coworkers. We may all be virtual right now, but we are still a team. We all work together to complete many tasks during our workday.
Brandy Beddingfield, BSHCA, BSN, RN, medical review supervisor
I have 12 years of experience in critical care/emergency/trauma, nurse education and health care administration. My nursing skillset and experience provide me with clinical knowledge I can apply to medical review.
I work alongside some amazing people! I like working in a team environment where everyone is supportive and encouraging of one another. We all have different skills and experience to share. I like that my primary responsibilities involve interacting with employees on all different levels of the organization and across functional areas. Every day I get the opportunity to work with a talented team of medical review nurses who I value and respect. I enjoy watching them succeed and grow.
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