Whether our members are recovering from a serious injury, undergoing a transplant or navigating a difficult diagnosis, BlueCross case managers help guide them through the experience. As a clinical team expert, Maggie Flurry helps those case managers connect members to resources that can improve their health.
It’s a job that draws on her clinical experience as a nurse as well as leadership skills she’s cultivated over a 17-year career. And her enthusiasm to take on new challenges has led to Maggie becoming an early adopter of AI and using it to better support her team.
“A case manager is really an assessor, a coordinator, a teacher and an advocate,” Maggie says. “You’re the person who can have a lengthy conversation with a member, help address any confusion about coverage and available resources and help them get through it.”
Wearing all those hats is a big responsibility, and supporting three full teams of case managers handling more than 375 member cases at any given time may seem daunting, but Maggie’s never shied away from a challenge.
Trusting others and herself
Born in Arkansas, Maggie’s family moved frequently because of her father’s job, but when a nursing school opened just blocks away from her grandmother’s house in her home state, Maggie saw a chance to invest in her future while reconnecting with family. After graduating from nursing school, she quickly found a mentor.
“I hadn’t chosen a specialty yet, but this amazing nurse took me under her wing and got me into oncology,” Maggie says.
“When somebody sees something in you and not only gives you an opportunity but says, ‘You’d be good at this,’ that’s never really steered me wrong.”
A few years into her career, she worked closely with case managers at a rehab facility, supporting people recovering from strokes, catastrophic illnesses and other serious health events. Maggie was inspired by the way they managed complicated situations and solved problems to help coordinate a patient’s care.
“I love having an interesting problem to work on,” she says. “As I worked with the case managers, I thought, ‘This is something I could do.’”
An unexpected turn becomes an opportunity
Inspired by the work she saw case managers do, Maggie began a new job in that field, , but the COVID-19 pandemic led to a search for something that better fit her career and family goals.
“I had been used to working in an office when they sent me home,” Maggie explains. “But I was so productive working from home. I doubled my output. I was so happy. So that got the wheels turning for me to find a place I could do that long-term.”
She found that place at BlueCross in 2022, where remote work wasn’t just possible, but common. It meant she’d be able to move to a more rural community and spend more time with her kids. But it was the culture at BlueCross that made her feel at home.
“When I had my interview with BlueCross I was like, ‘Yes, these are my people,’” Maggie says. “They were so open to hearing how I could contribute and really just made me feel appreciated and welcome.”
The collaborative environment at BlueCross allows Maggie to thrive. She answers clinical and workflow questions, helps research resources that can help with recovery or condition management, and develops training materials for three different teams.
“Many people don’t know there’s a whole team of people working behind the scenes every day to make things easier for members,” Maggie says.
“When you can set goals with someone and then watch them reach those goals with your assistance, it’s very rewarding.”
Using AI to broaden her skillset
Maggie looks for ways artificial intelligence can better help her support her teams. She says the technology can’t replace her core skills and expertise, but it helps her bridge gaps and learn new ways to organize and communicate information.
“I’m really good at coaching people on how to engage members better on first contact, but I’m not necessarily great at building a good PowerPoint presentation or Excel file,” Maggie admits. “Our secure AI tools can teach me how to put together materials for my team in 10 minutes.”
She also uses AI to help research resources, organize information and help identify solutions to often complex challenges members might be facing, all while keeping their health information anonymous and safe. She even used it to organize common questions she fields from case managers into a tracker to help build training plans.
“Maggie is a dynamo,” says Krystal Armour, Manager of Digital Case Management and Maggie’s supervisor. “Her passion for embracing and teaching AI tools has empowered us to work smarter, reduce administrative burden and focus more time on serving members.”
Maggie says AI helps her team focus on the people they serve and connect them with more resources more easily, reducing the time spent on clerical duties and increasing the time spent on critical connection with members.
“AI is exciting, and it makes us more efficient and organized,” she says. “But in nursing and other human-facing work, skills are what matter, and human connection stays at the center of what we do.”
Finding peace of mind at home
Outside work, Maggie stays busy with her family and the many animals on their small farm near Hackett, Arkansas. When not going on family trips like a recent visit to an immersive art exhibit in Texas, she likes to take walks outdoors, sometimes with an audiobook, to help clear her mind.
Country life offers the sense of peace and connection to nature that helps Maggie stay centered.
“There’s nothing quite like going out on your front porch and looking out as far as you can see,” she says. “There are birds and sunshine and clouds. It’s very peaceful.”
Whether she’s helping a case manager work through a difficult situation, experimenting with a new use for AI or packing the family into the car for their next adventure, Maggie carries the same enthusiasm and willingness to explore.
And while technology can help her find information, build new skills and work more efficiently, the purpose behind that work is the same thing it was when she first started her career: helping people feel supported through everything life has in store.
A graduate of The University of South, Sewanee, Jacob joined the Corporate Communications team in 2018. With a background in marketing, public relations and literary publishing, he brings storytelling expertise and a collaborative spirit to every project.