Getting to Know BC Educators: Biologic Coordinators Services

Janelle Ball

Angela Lee

Access Coordinator Boot Camp (ACBC) is a non-profit, multi-specialty organization that is designed to help coordinators from numerous specialties who prescribe biologics and systemic medications for patients with autoimmune diseases. ACBC’s inaugural Texas Round Up 2023 meeting kicks off May 5th and continues through May 7th. This year, specialty courses will be geared toward dermatology, rheumatology, and allergy/immunology. They will offer courses to service other specialties the following year.

Angela Lee, a member of the ACBC board of directors and the chief operating officer of BC Educators, a company founded to provide biologic coordinator services, will be presenting at the inaugural ACBC meeting in Texas. Dermatology Times® spoke with Lee and BC Educators’ founder and CEO, Janelle Ball, about the ACBC meeting and their work together on improving overall biologics access for dermatologists.

Dermatology Times: Can you please give an overview of Access Coordinator Boot Camp and how the organization helps serve the field of dermatology?

Lee: Access Coordinator Boot Camp (ACBC) is a non-profit, multi-specialty organization that is designed to help coordinators from numerous specialties that prescribe oral and injectable specialty therapies.The goal of this conference is to empower our attendees with the appropriate tools and resources needed to gain access to the biologic medication patients need. I am on the Board of Directors and have many roles within the organization which involve editing, marketing, recruiting and administration. We have an amazing team, and I am truly blessed to be a part of it!

Dermatology Times: What inspired the idea to found BC Educators, and what did that process look like?

Ball: I started BC Educators because as a biologic coordinator myself, I knew that the process to access specialty medications was so stressful and time consuming. After 9 years of being a biologic coordinator and speaking about access to offices across the country for pharmaceutical companies, I realized there was a major need for help in the office. Not only was there a need for a biologic coordinator but also education on documentation, the insurance intricacies, and streamlining the process as well.

Lee: As an access speaker, you encounter many dermatology office staff that do not have a smooth workflow process, an understanding of how to utilize those enhanced specialty pharmacies and their services or how to correctly fill out enrollment forms. Manufacturer companies are constantly making changes to their bridge programs and insurance companies are oftentimes updating their formularies and there are changes to step edits, etc. It’s a lot to keep track of and that is where BC Educators is here to help provide education and ongoing support to dermatology offices nationwide.

Dermatology Times: Please give a brief overview of the inaugural ACBC conference happening in Texas.

Lee: ACBC’s inaugural conference we are calling “Texas Roundup”, will take place in Dallas, TX May 5-May 7, 2023. The conference will be offering workshops and general sessions for dermatology, rheumatology, asthma/immunology, and gastroenterology. All aspects from the onboarding process to prescription acquisition will be covered. This will include breakout sessions for prior authorizations the importance of proper documentation, best practices of dermatology, off-label hurdles, etc. I look forward to learning myself as my fellow ACBC peers are always sharing tips and tricks with me. I am learning something new every day. I truly hope everyone that attends will be able to improve their workflow and leave with a better understanding. There will be a major buy and bill presentation. Buy and Bill is growing in the field of dermatology, and we believe it’s important for everyone to become familiar with the entire process.

Dermatology Times: What is the overall goal/mission statement of BC Educators and how is that applied in day-to-day operations?

Ball: BC Educators specializes in supporting dermatology offices with streamlining the process to get specialty medications, through in-office training, our virtual biologic coordinator services, and continued support and resources that are tailored to the office-specific needs. The goal is to help streamline the process of getting patients started on therapy by identifying the issues to access and adherence. Allowing both the office and patient to have a single point of contact and continued support.

Dermatology Times: How will BC Educators be involved at the ACBC conference and what are you hoping to share with attendees?

Lee: I will be speaking on “The Importance of Proper Documentation” and will give a brief overview of scoring tools and examples of prior therapies most insurances require to provide their patients with coverage. I will also present an “Introduction to Portals” and how the utilization of insurance, specialty pharmacy and manufacturer portals can help their workflow and save them from spending countless hours on the phone. I will also be partaking in the “Buy and Bill Panel” in case any attendees have questions pertaining specifically to the process in dermatology.

Dermatology Times: What do you hope the future holds for BC Educators?

Ball: We really hope to become an asset in helping both offices and patients. Through our educational training and connections within our associations and the conferences, this will really allow us to help make a difference for access and continue to help our patients.

Lee: We truly hope that BC Educators will be able to assist dermatology offices nationwide by helping their patients gain access to specialty medications in a timely manner.

Dermatology Times: Do you have any closing thoughts to share?

Ball: With the biologics and biosimilar industry growing, and the access becoming so difficult. Having dedicated support for specialty medications can relieve a burden off the office staff and ensure that your patients have quicker access to therapy and less delays. BC Educators would be thrilled to be part of that process.

Lee: Many dermatologists do not see the value of having a seasoned biologic coordinator or a single point of contact in the office to help their patients gain access to these specialty therapies. It is burdensome when patients must wait weeks to start lifechanging therapies. I would encourage them to analyze their current workflow and to see what the current turnaround time is for their patients to start on therapy and how many stay on therapy. BC Educators is here to help provide training to their entire office staff, provide a virtual biologic coordinator and/or anything else their office may need pertaining to access. We are only an email away and look forward to a consultation.

Janelle Ball is the founder/CEO of and a biologic coordinator consultant at BC Educators LLC. Ball is a consultant for Bristol Myers Squibb and also speaks for Amgen, UCB, Janssen, Sanofi, Regeneron, and AbbVie.

Angela Lee serves as the biologic coordinator at Abbasi Dermatology in Southeast Michigan. She has fourteen years of experience in the field of dermatology and finds true joy in educating and advocating for her patients. Lee is the Chief Operating Officer and a biologic coordinator consultant at BC Educators. She is an access speaker for Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and sits on the Board of Directors for Access Coordinator Boot Camp.