Staff Bios

Dr. Gerald Cochran, MD, MPH, FACS
Medical Director

The SmartStarts Prenatal Program is overseen by MedCost’s Medical Director, Dr. Gerald Cochran.
Dr. Cochran is certified by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, the American Academy of Wound Management, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and the National Board of Medical Examiners.

In addition to being our Medical Director, Dr. Cochran also currently serves as Medical Director for Davis Regional Wound Healing Center in Statesville and Rowan Regional Wound Care Center in Salisbury. He formerly managed a successful plastic surgery practice in Salisbury/Statesville and served as a Physician Consultant for MedCost for over 15 years.

Dr. Cochran earned his undergraduate degree from LaSalle University and his medical degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He has a Master’s in Healthcare Policy, Management and Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Cochran served as Chief Resident in General Surgery at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia, and as Chief Resident in Plastic Surgery at Allentown Hospital. He was also a Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery and Associate Director of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Cochran is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and the American Institute for HealthCare Quality. He enjoys traveling and attending concerts and plays.

Renee Pulliam, BSN
Manager of Utilization Review and Prenatal

Renee Pulliam oversees the MedCost SmartStarts Prenatal Program. She began her career with MedCost as a prenatal nurse in 1990. Prior to that Renee was a neonatal intensive care nurse at North Carolina Baptist Hospital.

Renee said, “It is very easy to be passionate about this program. My background working with premature and very sick babies motivates me to communicate the benefits of the prenatal program, and to make it real to the consumer. I get excited when talking about the program with clients and sharing stories that show the big and the small things that this program achieves. I enjoy listening to patients who want to share their positive experiences.”

Renee is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and a March of Dimes Volunteer.

When she is not working, Renee enjoys spending time with her husband, Randy, and their teenage daughters, Chelsea and Hannah. The four-legged family members are a Westie named Snuggles and a rabbit named Butterscotch. Renee also enjoys knitting, reading, and volunteering for her church.

Susan (“Suzy”) Bess has been a Prenatal nurse and Case management Specialist with the Medcost SmartStarts Prenatal Program for more than 16 years. She brought a wealth of experience to MedCost, having worked as an OB/GYN nurse, an OB/GYN surgical assistant, and a labor and delivery nurse since 1975. Suzy received certification by ASPO/LAMAZE in 1977 and has practiced as an Independent Childbirth Educator teaching Lamaze Birthing Classes for 19 years. She also has experience as a Neonatal Clinical Nursing instructor for a School of Nursing.

Suzy is the point of contact for the women enrolled in the Prenatal Program. She is the patient's advocate and prenatal support nurse. Suzy does the initial phone assessment, documenting the patient's medical and obstetrical history under strict confidentiality. Each trimester she reassesses each mom-to-be, providing education and answering her questions. Program participants have unlimited access to Suzy via phone and email throughout their pregnancy. If a woman is having a problem with her pregnancy, Suzy provides support for her and takes on the role of triage nurse for the doctor involved. Suzy said, “If there are complications I become involved as Prenatal Case Manager to assist the physician with home health needs. If there is a miscarriage or fetal loss I follow up with grief support and counseling.”

Suzy said that the best part of her job is the one-on-one phone contact with the moms-to-be and feeling that she has made a difference for a new mother. She said she likes “being able to make them feel comfortable” so they can talk with her about their concerns. Suzy talks with the dads too, which can be a lot of fun. She especially enjoys “the excitement when they call about the delivery and tell about their babies.” Suzy loves her work and is very proud of the Prenatal Program. She is very proactive with her nursing assessment which encourages early interventions that can help avoid an inpatient admission.

Suzy is a lifetime member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and is a certified LAMAZE instructor. She is also a certified childbirth educator with ICEA. With this special training, Suzy is well equipped to educate program participants about pregnancy, labor, birth, newborn care, and parenthood.

Suzy’s family consists of her husband, Richard, AND married daughters; Lauren and Alicia. The newest addition is granddaughter Haley Mackenzie. And let's not leave out her two Pomeranian "babies," Peanut & Sasha.

When she has time to relax, she loves doing crafty stuff. Her hobbies are scrapbooking, smocking, sewing, shopping and relaxing with friends & family at her lake house on High Rock Lake. She is now having lots of fun socializing with her local Chapter of the Red Hat Society.

Lorrie Belk, RN, CCM
Prenatal Educator/ Obstetrical Case Manager

Even though she’s the newest member of the MedCost SmartStarts Prenatal Program staff, Lorrie Belk brings over 27 years of obstetrical nursing experience to the program.

Prior to joining MedCost in 2006, Lorrie worked at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, assisting in their labor and delivery, ante partum high risk, well newborn nursery, and postpartum units before becoming the Clinical Coordinator for their obstetrical ante partum unit. She left Presbyterian in 1996 to become the Prenatal Educator and Obstetrical Case Manager for Health Care Savings, also in Charlotte. In addition to being a certified case manager, Lorrie is also a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).

Lorrie is excited to share her knowledge and skills in prenatal education with SmartStarts participants. “Being an obstetrical nurse is the best job in the world!” she says. “I love being able to support our participants by preparing them for the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy, as well as the birth and postpartum period. I also try to promote healthy behaviors and reduce any risk factors because I want everyone in the program to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. This is a very special time in each woman’s life, and I am happy to be part of it by contributing my knowledge and support.”

When she’s not working, Lorrie enjoys spending time with her husband of 27 years, Carl, and their two sons, Timothy and Andrew. She also likes gardening, traveling, bike riding, and playing with her cat, Chloe, “the boss of the Belk household.”

Patrenia Johnson
Prenatal Administrative Assistant

Patrenia Johnson has been the Prenatal Program’s administrative assistant for over 6 years. Patrenia enjoys her role because, as she says, “I always knew I wanted to work in a field helping people, be it face-to-face or over the phone.”

Patrenia’s many responsibilities include introducing women to the program by explaining its benefits and goals to them. She said, “I encourage them to enroll in the first trimester and explain how the calls will be made each trimester. I give them the name of the Prenatal Nurse, Suzy Bess, along with her credentials and experience and I explain how to contact us with questions or for information. I send all the correspondence to the patients, the physicians, and to claim administrators, including all participation and termination letters and the informational mailings to participants for each trimester. I cover the prenatal phone line and monitor or triage calls for prenatal support or prenatal case management. I also contact hospital providers or physicians for delivery status postpartum.”

Patrenia enjoys collecting the baby pictures sent in by program participants after delivery. She displays them on a bulletin board in the Health Management Department. She says the best part of her job is “talking to the first-time moms. They get so excited. After they deliver, I can hear the babies in the background during phone calls, and it brings back memories for me.”

Patrenia prepared for her position by taking business and computer classes. Once on the job at MedCost she continued to build her skills by taking classes in medical terminology, team building, communication, and professional development.

Patrenia is a single mom with “two wonderful and very bright boys,” Terrence, 16, and Jarion, 14. She says the three of them enjoy “just spending time together and acting silly.” Patrenia and her sons have fun playing bingo, swimming, listening to music, dancing, and telling jokes.