MedHelp Maine is a nonprofit prescription assistance program facilitator that is developing a statewide network of community prescription programs accessible to all physicians and their patients in need. In July 2005, with the support of a two-year $200,000 Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) grant, MedHelp Maine began helping six partner hospitals and health networks develop prescription assistance programs for their communities.
Since July, with less than $50,000 of the MeHAF funding, these programs together have helped 73 physicians obtain free medications for 436 low-income patients by processing 2,139 initial and refill prescriptions worth over $1.1 million.
Both personal and community health are compromised when financially needy individuals are unable to purchase their increasingly expensive but often literally life-sustaining prescription medications. Among the variety of existing prescription assistance options are the new Medicare benefit, state discounts, and the valuable drug company programs that provide free medications to qualifying applicants. Because each program and sponsor has its own qualifications and application process, helping more than a few patients take advantage of available help is too time-consuming and burdensome for most medical practices and social service organizations.
MedHelp Maine partner programs, however, are staffed by personnel devoted solely to identifying the most appropriate source of help for a patient, to coordinating the enrollment process, and to ensuring ongoing medication availability. Using specialized database management software that reduces 40 hours of application completion by hand to just 5 hours of computer work, they process timely prescription refills for patients receiving free drug company medications.
The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF), created in 2000, is the state’s largest health care foundation. Its mission is to promote affordable and timely access to comprehensive, quality health care and to improve the health of every Maine resident. In particular, MeHAF targets strategies such as MedHelp Maine’s that serve the uninsured and medically underserved.
A recent two-year $50,000 Bingham Program grant was also awarded to MedHelp Maine for expansion of the network of prescription assistance resources beyond the initial six MeHAF-funded pilot programs in Bridgton, Brunswick, Caribou, Ellsworth, Skowhegan, and York. This funding has allowed MedHelp Maine to hire a facilitator for enhanced program support and outreach. Jona Dorso has joined Martha Morrison, MedHelp Maine’s board president and unpaid director, to increase the organization’s ability to respond to community prescription assistance needs. With an extensive Maine social services background and education in business and health, Jona brings to MedHelp Maine skills in community organizing, resource identification, and program development. She and Martha are now both available to advise existing prescription assistance programs and to discuss new program start-up with hospital executives and other community leaders.
MedHelp Maine's six grant-supported prescription assistance program partners have now obtained over $2 million worth of free medications.
On behalf of physicians affiliated with seven Maine hospitals and their low-income patients, program coordinators processed 5,000 patient assistance program (PAP) applications to pharmaceutical manufacturers during the year ending June 2006.
MedHelp Maine's new toll-free information line, 888-283-9883, and website, www.medhelpmaine.org, provide contact information for existing prescription assistance programs available to area patients and practitioners. The six organizations developing their programs with guidance and funding from Biddeford-based MedHelp Maine are Bridgton Hospital, Brunswick's Oasis Health Network, Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Ellsworth's Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, and York Hospital. Other communities offering prescription assistance services for all residents include Bar Harbor, Houlton, Knox County, and Sanford.
To ensure medication access by all Mainers, to lessen the need for hospital and practitioner charity care, and to enhance personal and community health, MedHelp Maine, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is developing a statewide network of these community resources. It will provide hospitals and other health care organizations with prescription assistance program start-up assistance at no cost.
Patient assistance program (PAP) work is easily measured and reported, and the value of medicines obtained is often quite large. Access to free PAP drugs may literally be life-sustaining, for the availability of these medications may be the only affordable source of prescription drugs for some patients. Before the Medicare Part D drug benefit took effect in January 2006, PAPs provided some seniors and disabled individuals with their only opportunity to obtain prescribed medications. With the availability of this new government benefit and its presumed affordable drug access, most drug manufacturers stopped offering PAP assistance to this population. Because the federal program is not proving to be totally satisfactory for all beneficiaries, however, a number of pharmaceutical manufacturers are once again accepting applications from seniors who cannot afford their prescription medicines. Keeping up with these changes and with the variety of federal, state, and commercial options appropriate for some patients is a challenge best met by prescription assistance coordinators dedicated solely to this work.
MedHelp Maine's partner programs are accessed by physician referral. Doctors and other practitioners refer to their local programs those patients unable to afford their prescription drugs. They provide patient medication lists and prescribing information, and agree to receive and then properly dispense the medicines shipped to their offices. They notify the prescription assistance programs of any changes in patient drug therapy so the coordinators, who use a computer database tool to efficiently process and track patient assistance applications, can ensure uninterrupted therapy by ordering correct and timely prescription refills.
Historically, patients have not discussed their personal financial situations with their medical practitioners. When talking with physicians and their staff about their prescription assistance programs and how to use them, coordinators encourage doctors to now speak with their patients about their ability to purchase the drugs they prescribe. Program posters and brochures in doctor office waiting rooms and in exam rooms also inform patients of the availability of this help.
MedHelp Maine's next information meeting for those now offering prescription assistance services and for health care and social service professionals merely interested in medication access will be held in Augusta, on Friday morning, October 27. The agenda will include MedHelp Maine partner work to date; the use of patient assistance programs; demonstration of a database management product; the Medicare Part D drug benefit, including 2007 enrollment details, Social Security's Low-Income Subsidy, and the state's DEL wrap; and medication access issues being deliberated in Washington, as presented by staff of Maine's Congressional delegation. Although online meeting registration is not available, information may be obtained from MedHelp Maine by phoning 283-4461.