Please join us in welcoming our newest clinical services manager, Erica Guetzlaff, to National CooperativeRx! She’s an excellent resource to both members and staff for clinical plan design recommendations. Coming from a similar background with her previous employer, Erica is excited to delve into her new role and start improving our members’ pharmacy benefit plan and bottom line.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Erica attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. “I became interested in pharmacy while conducting diabetes and kidney research,” says Erica. “Some of the research centered on the use of blood pressure medications for prevention of kidney damage in diabetes patients.”
After becoming a licensed pharmacist, Erica took her first job at Walgreens. “It was a dynamic, fast-paced environment with opportunities to learn the ins and outs of retail pharmacy. I sometimes felt I was a cop, psychologist, cashier and a pharmacist,” explains Erica. “After a few months, I knew my heart was in non-profit health care.”
Her solution was to join an HMO as a clinical pharmacy program manager, where she worked for 12 years. “I was eager to take on a more clinical position and utilize the skills I learned in school more effectively,” says Erica.
Transitioning to National CooperativeRx was smooth for Erica, as her former job responsibilities lined up with ours. “I wanted to work at National CooperativeRx to focus my time and not be responsible for managing other pharmacists,” states Erica.
Although she’s only been on our payroll for six weeks, Erica is already making strides. “I enjoy seeing the non-HMO world and learning how a new pharmacy benefit manager operates,” Erica says. “My goal in working for National CooperativeRx is to show our members what can be achieved through the right educational initiatives and formulary structure. I love making a complicated process more seamless for members and identifying ways they can save money while maintaining the highest level of evidence-based care.”
In her free time, Erica loves spending time with her husband, Scott, and their two daughters, Charlotte and Stella. Her passion is running, but due to several stress fractures, she’s turning it into more of a hobby. Click here to see Erica in action!
