Greetings!
Spring has finally arrived! As we enjoy the transition to warmer weather, the busy season continues here at PAN.
The first quarter of 2019 has been incredibly rewarding. We’ve already seen the impact of
FundFinder, our recently launched patient assistance web app. In just four months over 7,500 people have used the app to simplify their search for financial assistance.
As we continue to advance new initiatives, we recognize that millions of Americans still struggle to access the healthcare they need. According to a recent survey by
Gallup, one in four patients do not adhere to their treatment as prescribed because they cannot afford their out-of-pocket medication costs.
It is well-known that cost-cutting measures—such as delaying to fill prescriptions, decreasing or skipping doses—lead to less effective treatments and poorer health outcomes. Patients should never be forced to make the impossible choice between their physical health and financial security.
Our efforts here at PAN are focused on supporting you and the patients you serve. To help make best use of your patient’s PAN grant, we’ve created a recurring newsletter section with quick tips and guidance from our team. Check out the “How to Maximize Your Patient’s Grants” section below. We’re constantly looking to expand our resources so please do not hesitate to
contact us with suggestions for materials that would benefit your work.
Looking ahead, the PAN team is excited to be attending several conferences in the coming months. This week, we’ll be at Asembia from April 29-May 2. If you’re attending, set up a meeting with us by emailing me at
[email protected]. We’d love to connect with you!
As always, we value your partnership and look forward to even more collaboration as the year progresses.
Kind regards,
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Ayesha Azam
Senior Director of Medical Affairs
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- How to Maximize Your Patient’s Grants
- A Note From Joan
- The Impact of Patient Assistance
- Portal Pros: Reconcile Your Account
- Claims Corner: How to Complete Claim Adjustments
- New Medications Covered
- New Assistance Program: Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia
- Noble Health Services Provides Comprehensive Care to Improve Quality of Life
- On the Line with Brittanie: Meet PAN's Program Representatives
- PAN at Upcoming Conferences
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How to Maximize Your Patient's Grants
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At PAN, we have processes in place to ensure that we can assist as many patients as possible. In this new recurring newsletter section, we give you an inside look at how we make best use of our resources in order to help you maximize your patient’s PAN grants.
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We’re here
when patients
need us.
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Apply for assistance as soon as your patient is ready to start treatment. During your patient’s first eligibility period, we may reimburse eligible expenses incurred up to 90 days prior to the grant approval date.
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We monitor
your patient’s
grant for you.
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Our grant use policy requires a claim be paid every 120 days. If your patient no longer needs their grant, let us know as soon as possible so we can offer that assistance to other patients.
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We provide
extra help when
you need it.
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Patients may be able to receive a second grant during their eligibility period. Please ensure that your patient’s grant is fully exhausted before requesting additional funding. Contact us if you need help submitting a partial claim.
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We allow you
to use external support as needed.
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If you have a grant with another foundation and it is exhausted, you may apply to PAN for additional assistance. Keep in mind that we cannot accept claims already paid by another foundation.
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We have resources to streamline your workflow.
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Utilize our tools to help you efficiently manage your patient’s grants and quickly find financial assistance for other patients. Sign up for our
Pharmacy Portal
and
FundFinder
app today.
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The PAN Foundation works with pharmacies to help patients who cannot afford their out-of-pocket medication costs.
According to a recent survey by
Gallup, one in four patients skipped a medical treatment because of cost in the pas
t year.
That’s why we would like to highlight the following three tips to ensure quick claim payments.
- Verify the medication is on the patient’s disease fund formulary. Please check the PAN website for a complete list of assistance programs and respective covered medications.
- Ensure you use the correct RX group number. Please refer to the Pharmacy Billing Guide for a complete list of RX Group Numbers. This is a great reference for your team to have within reach for any troubleshooting in the billing process.
- Keep in mind, PAN has a grant use policy. In order to keep your patient’s grant active, please ensure claims are submitted and paid every 120 days, otherwise the grant will be at risk of being cancelled.
We value and support the indispensable (pun not intended!) relationship between you and your patients. If there is anything we can do to better assist your team, please reach out to me at
[email protected].
Best regards,
Joan Zhang, PharmD
Manager of Medical Affairs
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The Impact of Patient Assistance
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Last year, we conducted a survey of 1,459 patients who received PAN Foundation grants to learn more about how financial assistance impacts their healthcare journey.
The results of our survey highlight the urgent and ongoing need for patient assistance, revealing that high out-of-pocket costs frequently prevent people from adhering to their treatments as prescribed. After receiving financial support, patients reported better medication adherence, reduced stress and a higher quality of life
. For a detailed report of the survey’s findings, read the full brief
here
.
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Portal Pros: Reconcile Your Account
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If you are the administrator for your organization’s portal account, please be sure to reconcile your users and deactivate anyone who is no longer working at your facility or has changed roles. You can do this by visiting the
Manage Users tab under
Account Information.
This summer, we will require that each organization confirm their portal users to ensure your account is up to date. Stay tuned for more information.
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Claims Corner: How to Complete Claim Adjustments
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To complete a claim adjustment, call 1-844-616-9448 for immediate assistance.
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We've added several medications to our assistance programs in the last few months.
You can review the full list of new covered medications
here
.
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PAN Introduces New Assistance Program
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Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is a rare type of blood cancer that originates in the lymphatic system and is characterized by an excess of abnormal white blood cells and proteins called immunoglobulins.
- Assistance amount: $5,000 per year.
- Federal Poverty Level (FPL) threshold: The patient’s income must fall at or below 500% of the FPL.
- Insurance requirement: The patient must have Medicare health insurance that covers his or her qualifying medication or product.
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Noble Health Services Provides Comprehensive Care to Improve Quality of Life
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We recently spoke with Nicole Kearney, a Process Improvement Supervisor from Noble Health Services, a specialty pharmacy in Syracuse, New York. In addition to filling prescriptions, Noble Health Services offers additional resources that promote the overall wellbeing of patients.
In our discussion, Nicole emphasizes the importance of operating as a center of support for patients—especially those facing high out-of-pocket costs.
Read the full story here.
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On the Line with Brittanie: Meet PAN's Program Representatives
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Our call center representatives are the threads that connect patients, providers and pharmacists with PAN’s life-changing assistance. We hope that this blog series helps you get to know the wonderful people who are the front lines of our team, ready to offer caring and compassionate service to you and the patients you serve.
Meet Brittanie, a PAN Patient Assistance Specialist who shares with us a little about herself and what it means to be part of an organization with a giving spirit.
Read more
.
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PAN at Upcoming Conferences
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Are you attending any conferences this spring?
Let us know if you’ll be at one of the upcoming events and conferences listed below. We’d love to see you!
We’re excited to meet you at Asembia! Visit us at booth 207 or
email us to set up a meeting in advance.
- On 5/2, Ayesha Azam, Senior Director of Medical Affairs, will host a session at 9am in Margaux 1 titled, “Patient Assistance Programs: The Current Landscape and the Future.”
PAN will exhibit at ASCO. If you’re attending, stop by the Patient Advocacy Pavilion and say hello.
PAN will exhibit at AOSW. We hope to connect with you there!
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