Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Tracey Spangenberg, Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer at UC San Diego Health
Feb 22, 2026
Tracey Spangenberg, Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer at UC San Diego Health and former retail/mail-order pharmacist with international training. She discusses scaling outpatient and retail pharmacy, building a centralized prior authorization team, tackling EMR and change management, handling 340B uncertainty, and using partnerships and measurement to drive system growth.
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Central Prior Authorization Team Launch
- Tracey built a central prior authorization team to reduce provider burden and improve patient access.
- After seven months of planning and change management, the team launched for four major clinics and increased prescription and revenue growth.
EMR Complexity Makes Centralization Hard
- Centralizing prior auths exposed huge EMR workflow complexity that demanded extensive change management.
- Success required standard work, a single platform, heavy training, and including frontline staff in planning to surface workflow variability.
Include Frontline Staff In Change Planning
- Involve the people doing the work when planning large operational changes to ensure buy-in and practical workflows.
- Be prescriptive in change management but listen first to frontline technicians and pharmacists to surface hidden issues.