A patient assistance program demonstrated efficacy in providing patients financial assistance to obtain high-cost medications they would not otherwise be able to afford, according to results published in Hospital Pharmacy. Calvin Parmiter, PharmD, BCPS, and colleagues examined the use of a dedicated, in-sourced team who contacted 153 patients with little or no means for paying for drugs. e team obtained information about the medication requested, the manufacturer, the cost, the dose needed, the number of doses approved, and whether the request was approved or denied. e overall approval rate was 59.5%; 91 patients were given medication through the program. A similar proportion of patients—58%—were granted insurance approvals. In total, the program acquired 283 fills of no-cost medications, with a total value of more than $2.6 million. “A dedicated patient assistance program is effective in obtaining financial assistance for patients to obtain high-cost medications for which they otherwise could not provide payment,” Dr. Parmiter and colleagues wrote.
