Leveling Up: How Biologic Coordinators Are Shaping Dermatology Access

Aug 1, 2025

Leveling Up: How Biologic Coordinators Are Shaping Dermatology Access

By Brianna Pepin

If you’ve been working as a Biologic Coordinator for any length of time, you already know—you’re not “just the PA person.” You’re the bridge between the patient, the provider, the insurer, and the pharmacy. You’re managing paperwork, medication access, appeals, reauthorizations, financial assistance, and follow-up, often all in the same hour.

But here’s the thing: we have more influence than we realize—and it’s time to start stepping into that.

This blog is all about owning your role as an advocate and recognizing the leadership potential that already exists in the work you do every day.

Your Voice in Care Coordination Matters—A Lot

In any specialty, access to care and medication is not always straightforward. Many of our patients are dealing with chronic, visible, and often painful conditions—and delays in access can deeply affect their physical and emotional health. That’s where we come in.

As Biologic Coordinators, we have a unique perspective. We know the formularies. We know the tricks to get a PA through. We know when to escalate, when to bridge, and when to push back. We often see access gaps before anyone else does, which means we’re perfectly positioned to be a voice for change and improvement—not just for our patients, but for our practice as a whole.

Opportunities to Lead (Even If You’re Not in Management)

You don’t need a title to be a leader. Here are a few ways BCs can step into more visible and influential roles:

📚 Educate Your Team

Start small—explain a tricky prior auth process to a new coworker. Offer to train a float nurse on pharmacy workflows. Teach your providers what “step therapy” actually looks like behind the scenes. These are leadership moments that build trust and confidence in your role.

🛠️ Streamline a Process

If you’ve built a better system for tracking reauthorizations or managing bridge medication timelines—share it! Leadership can also look like problem-solving. If it saves your team time and stress, that’s a huge win.

📢 Speak Up for the Patient

Don’t be afraid to advocate when you know a patient’s needs aren’t being met. Whether it’s calling out an insurer’s delay or flagging a pattern that’s affecting multiple patients, your insight has weight. And you’d be surprised how often others haven’t noticed until you point it out.

📈 Look for Career Growth

There’s more room for advancement in our field than there used to be. From becoming a Clinical Access Specialist, PA Specialist, or even leading a team of coordinators, your experience is valuable.

Want to Strengthen Your Skills? Here’s Where to Start

Growing into a leadership role doesn’t always mean changing jobs—it can start with building confidence in your skills and staying connected to the bigger picture of access work. Here are some great ways to keep learning and expanding:

🎓 Certifications Certified Patient Access Management Training (DermSquared): This is a solid option if you want formal training focused specifically on patient access in dermatology. It’s tailored to the real-world experience of Biologic Coordinators and Access Specialists.

PACS (Prior Authorization Certified Specialist): If you’re deep into prior auths and specialty medication workflows, this certification helps validate your expertise and opens doors for more specialized roles.

📅 Conferences & Webinars PAMS (Patient Access Management Summit by DermSquared): This event is geared specifically toward patient access professionals in dermatology. It’s a great place to connect with others in the field, hear from industry experts, and come back recharged with ideas and tools to use right away.

BCoD (Biologic Coordinators of Dermatology) Annual Conference: One of the best spaces for coordinators to connect, learn, and grow. Topics range from workflows and appeals to biosimilar transitions and leadership.

BC Educators Webinars & Training: These are built by coordinators for coordinators. It’s practical, real-time education for everything from new drug launches to financial assistance updates.

🤝 Mentorship or Peer Groups Even a monthly check-in with another BC can be incredibly valuable. Sharing wins, frustrations, and workarounds helps everyone feel less alone—and more effective. 🧰 Keep a Wins Folder This one’s personal, but it matters. Document the tough cases you helped resolve, the system improvements you initiated, or the time you advocated and it worked. Not only is it great for performance reviews—it’s a reminder that your work is making a real impact.

Bringing It All Together Being a strong advocate isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room—it’s about being the most informed, the most consistent, and the most persistent on behalf of your patients. You already are a leader in the access space, whether you’ve realized it yet or not. So keep learning. Keep pushing for what’s right. And keep showing up—for your patients and for yourself. You're not just making a difference—you are the difference.

💡 Want more dermatology and patient access insights? Subscribe to the BC Insider Newsletter for expert tips and resources! 🚀

At BC Educators, we are dedicated to empowering biologic coordinators, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates with the education, tools, and resources needed to optimize patient care. From expert-led webinars to hands-on training, we provide comprehensive support to help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of specialty medications and prior authorizations.