Life Changing Is… Educating and Empowering Patients

Bradley B. – Associate Health Care Concierge

“I am always on the patient’s side.”

Brad B. has worked as an associate health care concierge with UPMC Health Plan Member Services for the past year. He fields between 30 and 50 calls per day to help Medicare members with a range of requests or questions.

“People can call me for almost anything,” Brad says. “I can help with anything from answering a simple question about their plan to solving a complex issue that they may be experiencing.”

Before joining UPMC, Brad worked as a freelance graphic designer for more than a decade. While he loved the work, what he loved most about it was talking to others. So, when the opportunity to work as a health care concierge arose during the pandemic, he jumped at the chance.

“I love interacting with others," he says. "Having a job where I get to talk with people, help answer their questions, or make their lives a little easier — at least in terms of insurance — is so rewarding.

"Whether someone calls in to solve a billing issue or they need help figuring out next steps after receiving a diagnosis, I’m proud to be that point of contact for them."

Brad admits that while he loves assisting those who call in, he couldn’t do it without the help of his co-workers.

“Collectively, our team has a lot of knowledge, so it’s important to have internal discussions, compare notes, and leverage that knowledge to come up with the best solutions for our callers,” Brad says. “We have a lot of empathetic people who work here who really care about the person on the other end of the phone. I love that we can put our heads together and find the right course of action.”

When an urgent and complex issue arises on a call, Brad is thankful to have his team's knowledge and support to help find a solution for a patient.

For example, a patient recently was having trouble finding an oral surgeon who could care for a tooth infection. The infection was delaying the patient's much-needed lung transplant surgery.

“I was able to help him find an oral surgery appointment for the following week so that he could still move forward with his lung transplant, and he was beside himself,” Brad says. “He said that he wasn’t sure how long he could live without a transplant and that he was about to lose hope before calling us as a sort of Hail Mary.

"He was so grateful for the fact that we were able to help him and told me, ‘You may have just saved my life.’ If that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve found your purpose, I don’t know what will.”

At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means thinking outside the box to best serve the patient.

Learn More About UPMC Careers