Maria Benavides

Bilingual (English/Spanish) Certified Healthcare Professional with 3+ years of experience spanning remote clinical care advocacy, patient education, and healthcare operations. Proven expertise in navigating complex insurance structures, including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial plans (PPO, HMO). Skilled liaison adept at bridging the gap between patients, clinical staff, and corporate billing offices to resolve coverage hurdles and mitigate financial risk.

Highly proficient in remote communication tools, HIPAA-secure platforms, and managing high-complexity patient portfolios with a focus on empathetic, culturally competent advocacy.

Pharmacy Technician Care Advocate at Centene (2023-08 – Present)

• Patient Education & Advocacy: Conduct 90+ daily telephonic outreach sessions in English and Spanish to educate Medicare Advantage patients on plan benefits, identifying and alleviating financial barriers to medication adherence.
• Cross-Functional Liaison: Act as primary point of contact between patients, prescribers, and pharmacies to resolve care gaps, coordinate refills, streamline workflows, and ensure seamless patient support.
• Data Management & Metrics: Accurately document comprehensive patient insurance assessments and adherence compliance metrics, directly impacting STAR measure scores and participating in monthly performance reviews.
• Training & Leadership: Selected to onboard and train new Full-Time Employees (FTEs) and specialized teammates on Spanish outreach protocols, system software, and compliance standards.

Certified Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens (2022-08 – 2023-11)

• Insurance & Financial Solutions: Served as the facility's primary expert for complex billing resolutions, coordination of benefits, manufacturer coupon integration, and third-party commercial insurance exceptions (HMO/PPO/POS).
• Clinical Partnership: Handled escalation and clarification calls with physicians, insurance payers, and external clinical staff to resolve prescription requirements and coverage rejections.
• Auditing & Compliance: Managed the ordering, strict tracking, and organization of scheduled II-V medications, successfully passing Texas State Board of Pharmacy audits with zero discrepancies.
• Patient Engagement: Balanced high-volume face-to-face and telephonic patient interactions, meeting regional vaccine and wellness metrics through clear, proactive patient education.

BS in Business Administration – Southern New Hampshire University (2028-05)

Pharmacy Technician Certification in Pharmacy – Southern Careers Institute (2021 – 2022)