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 Audrey
- The Impact of Patient Assistance
- Portal Pros: Reconcile Your Account
- Claims Corner: How to Resubmit Claims
- New Medications Covered
- New Assistance Program: Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia
- Saint Agnes Cancer Institute Empowers Patients through Education and Financial Navigation
- 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
Provider Portal
and
FundFinder
app today.
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I recently attended the Oncology Nursing Society Congress and spoke with a provider from Georgia who shared with me the dire consequences of high out-of-pocket costs. For her practice, PAN is an essential resource.
She further explained how she sometimes spends two or more hours a day searching for financial assistance for her patients. When I told her about FundFinder, I saw her eyes brighten and I could tell she was eager to learn more.
FundFinder is a web-based app developed by PAN to help you quickly find financial assistance for underinsured and economically vulnerable patients.
When you sign up for FundFinder, you can quickly search for open disease funds across all the charitable foundations. You can also follow a fund to receive alerts via email or text message when funding becomes available. Remember, FundFinder notifications are purely informational and all assistance is available on a first come, first served basis.
As your point of contact, I am dedicated to helping you and your patients understand how to obtain access and receive co-pay assistance at PAN. Please contact me at
[email protected]
if you have any questions.
Kindly,
Audrey Quartey
Manager of Provider Relations
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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 Resubmit Claims
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If your claim was denied because we do not cover the medication or diagnosis code, we recommend you check our
assistance program pages for a list of covered medications and diagnosis codes. If your services are covered and you need to revise the claim form, write “corrected claim” on the new claim when resubmitting it to PAN.
If your services are not covered but you believe they fall within the scope of the fund, call 1-866-316-7263 to request a review of the disease fund and diagnosis code or medication.
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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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Saint Agnes Cancer Institute Empowers Patients through Education and Financial Navigation
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We recently spoke with Nicole Taglione, an Oncology Financial Navigator from Saint Agnes Cancer Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
Describe your role.
I work as part of a multidisciplinary support services team to assist patients as they embark on their new or changing cancer treatment. For patients that expect to have significant out-of-pocket expenses, I assist in identifying and obtaining financial assistance for the cost of their treatment.
What is rewarding about your job?
Every day I get the opportunity to educate, and advocate for, patients who are very sick while maintaining the goal of eliminating at least one stressor or financial barrier they are facing. As patients develop a higher health literacy it empowers them to make informed decisions regarding their care.
Can you share how PAN has affected one of your patients?
A close colleague’s father needed help paying for his expensive Parkinson’s medication after reaching the donut hole. We checked PAN’s website and funding was available. I worked with him and his family to apply for assistance and he was able to get reimbursed for most of the out-of-pocket expenses that he had already incurred.
The best part is, the following year he was able to apply for a grant renewal on his own. He received a notification from PAN well ahead of the application deadline and was easily able to apply online without my help.
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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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