NEEDYMEDS
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS HELPING YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS ACCESS MEDICATIONS AND HEALTH CARE
This month’s focus is on mental health, and we will present different resources and special-topic webinars to help you help your clients. Here’s a checklist of resources to review:
✓ Free and low-cost clinics that offer mental health services at no or low cost
✓ Disease Resource Pages for many mental
health conditions including Tourette’s, OCD, schizophrenia, ADHD, alzheimers, bipolar disorder, autism and major depression
✓ Patient assistance programs for hundreds of
medications used for mental health treatment
✓ Camps for mental health conditions, from ADD
and attachment disorders to sensory processing disorders
✓ Our special webinar on resources for mental
health needs, co-presented with the Program Director of the Patient Education Program at the San Antonio State Hospital
✓ Medication coupons ✓ NeedyMeds drug discount card As always, we like to hear your feedback. Is there any way that NeedyMeds can help your organization? Let us know!
INSIDETHISISSUE SAN ANTONIO STATE HOSPITAL
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Did you know that mental health services may be offered at a free or low-cost clinic? Some clinics may have doctors, therapists and social workers on staff to help with counseling needs and related mental health services. Many clinics have pharmacies on site where they may be able to provide medication immediately, at low or no cost. NeedyMeds lists more than 10,000 clinics that are located across the country. These clinics offer a variety of health care services that include mental health and range from general health care needs to women’s health, dental services, pediatric services and more. To find clinics near you that offer mental health services, go to the NeedyMeds home page, look under additional resources on the left-hand side and click on “Free/Low-Cost Clinics” (http://www.needymeds. org/free_clinics.taf). Enter your zipcode, check the distance box to get a listing of clinics and look in the “Details” column to see if they offer mental health services. Hours and levels of service at these clinics vary greatly, so call the clinics for current information and details.
Jaye Jaye@needymeds.org
SPOTLIGHT ON
MAY 2012
GET THE MOST OUT OF NEEDYMEDS
FROM THE EDITOR
Wishing you good health,
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NeedyMeds
NEWS & UPDATES
MEET NEEDYMEDS’
TESTIMONIALS
MARY MARLOW
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DRUG DISCOUNT CARD
PAP UPDATES
PAPTracker
NEEDYMEDS STAFF
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PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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NEEDYMEDS SPOT LIGHT ON ...
SAN ANTONIO STATE HOSPITAL Interview with Dianne T. Robinson, Program Director of Family and Patient Education Program — Adult Acute Units This interview appears in an abridged format. For the original full version, click here. NeedyMeds: Thanks so much for speaking with us. In your work at the San Antonio State Hospital (SASH), you designed a program that provides education on mental illness throughout the year to educate patients. Tell us more.
Workshops, Panel Discussions, Wellness and Recovery Groups, Family Groups and Peer Groups. Over 100 volunteer guest speakers from the community were involved and were vital to the success of the program.
Dianne: In 2007, I designed a “best practice” educational program for patients on the Adult Acute Units and their family members. I incorporated ideas from others who had provided mental health education in various formats.
The program is functioning at a highly effective and efficient level. It has expanded in response to identified needs, patients and family members have benefited from increased educational opportunities, community awareness has grown, and collaborative partnerships have been established, nurtured and maintained over time. It is increasingly referred to as a “model program” for patient and family education.
work that “Dr.The Sagall and his team
The SASH Family and Patient Education Program opened as a weekend program. Its purpose was to provide education, support, and community outreach for individuals diagnosed with mental illness and their family members during their hospital stay. To ensure that the program was based on patient and family members’ needs, evaluation forms with room for comments were distributed at each workshop. Within a few months, bilingual workshops were added and community speakers were invited to provide workshops on specific topics identified by patients and family members.
are doing is absolutely incredible — some may even call it heroic ...
As the program evolved, key workshop topics were identified and scheduled on a monthly basis (e.g., What is Mental Illness?, Psychiatric Hospitalization and Community Resources, Medications, Schizophrenia, and Mood Disorders). Attendees were interested in learning more about mental illness and mental health in general; how someone is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, what happens in treatment, how a successful community transition is made; medications in general, discount programs for medications; and diagnosis, symptoms and treatment options for serious mental illness. By 2011, the program had grown significantly, reaching approximately 900 patients and family members and included nearly 300 events including Weekend
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NeedyMeds: Is your program for inpatients or outpatients?
Dianne: The program is for individuals who are currently receiving inpatient services on the Adult Acute Units and their family members.
NeedyMeds: Do you have anything else you’d like to share with our readers about your work at the hospital? Dianne: Yes. In terms of the services I provide, I have found that listening to patients and family members is critical to meeting their needs, helping them heal, easing their pain, and contributing to their overall mental health. Listening makes a world of difference in a person’s lived experience. In terms of the program we created, I have found that support from the key decision-makers within an institution is critical to the inception, development and maintenance of an innovative program. I am very fortunate to have the support of my immediate supervisor and the superintendent of the hospital. They allow me to excel.
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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NeedyMeds
NEEDYMEDS SPOTLIGHT ON ... cont’d NeedyMeds: Through your work at the hospital and within the community as a volunteer, you’ve been collaborating with NeedyMeds for many years. Tell us how you first heard of NeedyMeds and how the relationship first began. Dianne: I was introduced to NeedyMeds several years ago. I called Dr. Richard Sagall, the President of NeedyMeds. Intrigued with his passion for helping others, I invited him to serve as a guest speaker for the program. He arranged a webinar for us, and thus was born our collaborative relationship. Dr. Sagall has provided numerous webinars for the program and recently passed the torch to Elizabeth Messenger, NeedyMeds’ Outreach and Education Manager. Shortly after our initial conversation, Dr. Sagall sent my first box of NeedyMeds drug discount cards. Initially, I distributed them within the program but soon branched out into the community because they are useful for all types of FDA-approved medications. Over the years, I’ve distributed thousands of cards in the community to individuals, agencies and organizations.
NeedyMeds: How do you find NeedyMeds and the card to be helpful for individuals and the community? Dianne: The NeedyMeds website and drug discount cards have made a tremendous impact on this community in terms of making available an incredibly organized array of resources and helping defray the cost of medications. Individuals may look up their medications in a variety of ways and easily determine whether a discount and/or coupon exists for their medications. The drug discount card is the same size as an insurance card and thus fits easily into any wallet or purse, ready for potential use at most major pharmacies across the United States. Combined, the website and the card increase the possibility that people will be able to afford their prescriptions and in doing so, enjoy a higher quality of life. NeedyMeds offers hope. The work that Dr. Sagall and his team are doing is absolutely incredible—some may even call it heroic in terms of stepping up to the plate to address a nationwide concern (i.e., affordability of medications). I highly recommend a visit to the website as soon as the reader finishes this article (www.needymeds.org).
NeedyMeds
NeedyMeds: What other type of assistance is out there for individuals diagnosed with mental illness and their family members? Dianne: The type of assistance varies from community to community. For example, there may be free workshops and seminars offered weekly through hospitals, agencies, and organizations. Individuals looking for support services (including mental health-related support services) may dial 211, which is the National Information and Referral Line available through the United Way. The United Way also has a service that links professionals working in nonprofit agencies that allow for the sharing of information among nonprofit organizations and many professionals then pass the shared information on to clients. Additional assistance, including free support and/or educational opportunities, may be found through local affiliates of national organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, among others.
NeedyMeds: Do you have any advice for advocates who work with individuals diagnosed with mental illness and their families? Dianne: Minimal, inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated knowledge of community resources serves as a barrier to gaining access to care. Where is the primary point of entry for care? What options are available for care? What options are available for aftercare? Advocates who can respond to these three questions with a myriad of options will be well on their way to helping individuals in need of assistance. The more the advocate knows about community resources, the more options the individual in need will have. Look further, look deeper, look longer—there are people who are waiting to help, who are interested in helping, and who will, in fact, help – both paid and volunteer. Get connected and stay connected. Then pass that information along so the individual who needed help today can help someone else tomorrow. NeedyMeds: You’ll be facilitating a special-topic webinar for NeedyMeds on May 23, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. We look forward to more discussion with you then.
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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NEWS
&UPDATES
DID YOU KNOW WE OFFER FREE WEBINARS? During a NeedyMeds webinar, you will learn how to navigate the NeedyMeds website more efficiently to help yourself and others, and you will be presented with an overview of the many different resources available. Some of this information may be overlooked by visitors to our site, so we will review each section of the website to teach you when it makes most sense to use each one. The next NeedyMeds webinars are: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET Thursday, May 31, 2012 @ 11 a.m. ET Click on the date you’d like to register online or visit www.needymeds.org. Can’t attend either of these dates? We can tailor a webinar for your organization at your convenience. Email Elizabeth@needymeds.org for more information.
SPECIAL-TOPIC WEBINARS PAP Software — Automating the Process Tuesday, May 15, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET Do you currently process many PAP applications a day for patients who come into your facility? Has the workload become overwhelming? It may be time to think about getting PAP software. Roberta Downey, NeedyMeds Software Sales Manager, will present an overview on what to consider when looking into automating the PAP application process. She’ll cover such topics as the mechanics of setting it up and what can be automated without compromising the process and patient/interactions. Mental Health Resources Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 2 p.m. ET Dianne Robinson, Patient Education Program Director at the San Antonio State Hospital, will be our guest host for this webinar. She will provide you with information about available mental health resources for patient advocates and health care professionals.
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PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
NeedyMeds
NEWS
&UPDATES
WHAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON Needymeds’ Projects in Progress NeedyMeds is multilingual! In order to reach our diverse populations, we now have NeedyMeds materials in Russian and Khmer (Cambodian), as well as English, Spanish and Portuguese. We are currently exploring grant funding in order to expand and reach more patient and advocate populations about our services. We will keep you posted about our ideas and progress. •
NeedyMeds is now listed on the eBay Giving Works Charities site. You can donate to NeedyMeds using this site when you are selling goods on eBay. Check it out! And thank you! All donations are used to expand NeedyMeds programs and services for uninsured and underinsured folks who need help affording the costs of their medications.
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NeedyMeds participated in the Gloucester Health and Wellness Fair on April 14, 2012. This Community Health Fair focused on providing information on healthy living, including free screenings, nutrition, and preventive health and lifestyle opportunities.
NeedyMeds is collaborating with these organizations in order to teach patrons and participants about patient assistance programs and other ways of affording their medicines: • • • • •
North Shore Chamber of Commerce Caring Voice Coalition California Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA) Ohio Association of Physician Assistants (OAPA) Center for Patient Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
As part of NeedyMeds’ National Outreach strategy, we will be attending these conferences. Please let us know if there are other conferences you’d like us to know about. • ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncologists), Chicago, June 2012 • Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, Providence, June 2012 • National Association of Local Boards of Health, Atlanta, August 2012 • National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, San Antonio, October, 2012
NeedyMeds Celebrates National Volunteer Week We appreciate our volunteers! NeedyMeds recently hosted a Volunteer Appreciation brunch to celebrate our volunteers. With a combined total of 10 years of service, our volunteers assist with research, mailings, database updates and board leadership. Thank you — we couldn’t do it without you!
NeedyMeds
NeedyMeds volunteers – l to r: Max Levy, Joan Locke, Mary Marlow, Barbara Alsen and Don Maier. Missing from photo, Board Member Frederick Cowan.
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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NEWS
&UPDATES
NEEDYMEDS EXPANDS ITS SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH Testimonials “...one of the most informative TweetChats to date.” Elizabeth, our Outreach & Education Manager at NeedyMeds, recently collaborated with Amy Ohm, founder of treatmentdiaries.com — a NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card partner — in an informative TweetChat to answer questions about saving money on medications. If you’re interested in setting up a TweetChat to learn how to save on medications, send an email to elizabeth@needymeds.org. To view transcript links to the TweetChat with NeedyMeds and treatmentdiaries.com, click here.
HEALTH EVENT MATERIALS
Are you planning to host a health fair or other health-related event? NeedyMeds can send drug discount cards and other related literature for distribution to help people save on their medications and health care costs. Just send your request to dianne@needymeds. org or use our online order form at http:// www.needymeds.org/order_form.taf. Also available: materials in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Khmer (Cambodian). We are very proud of our Database & Research Manager, Robin Hoffman. Robin is being inducted into the National Honor Society at Northeastern University in Boston! In addition to working full time at NeedyMeds, Robin attends classes at Northeastern University School of Professional Studies, after work, sometimes not getting home until midnight. She also manages to find time to cook amazing gourmet meals, send care packages to her grown children, work out and fish with her husband.
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Don’t just take our word for it — see what our DRUG DISCOUNT CARD users are saying...
Thank You!
“...just saved $78 on a $101.78 three month’s prescription for Simvastatin10MG.” “I recently helped a client fill out an application through NeedyMeds. Her medication was going to cost her $1,300 for two months supply. After filling out the application she was contacted and received the medication for one year for FREE. A total savings of $7,800. She recently lost her insurance and was very grateful for your program. So thank you so very much for all that you do.” “Great site for help with prescription medications, low income clinics and other helpful information, you can even have insurance and qualify for help on some of the programs! Share with someone you know needing help!” “Great Site, Great Info and organization! Love it!!” “What a great help this site has provided for me and my family. Thanks to NeedyMeds and the Patient Assistance Programs we have been able to receive the medicines our doctor has prescribed in order to improve our health. One day maybe I’ll be able to repay their kindness.” Editor’s note: Our website and resources are for people with health insurance, too!
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
NeedyMeds
MEET OUR... STAFF
VOLUNTEERS MAKE
MARY MARLOW
A DIF
FERENCE
NeedyMeds Volunteer
NeedyMeds: Hi Mary. Tell us a little about your background. Mary: I grew up in upstate NY, near Lake Champlain and attended college in Rochester, NY. When I married, we moved to CT and raised our family there. I have two grown children. NeedyMeds: You have quite an interesting history of jobs. Tell us more. Mary: One of the most unusual jobs I had was as a federal agent (US Customs) at the Champlain NY/Canadian border. It was 1973 and I had just graduated from college. The reaction of people was pretty funny, as apparently I didn’t look very official. I also taught third grade, and later went back to school to get my masters in Community Health Education. My daughter and I graduated on the same day in 1997! NeedyMeds: What else have you done? Mary: I love to read, and opened and ran a children’s bookstore in Atkinson, NH for five years. It was called the Book Mouse. When I closed it, I was recruited to volunteer at a prescription assistance program at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, NH. It was a walk-in center for patients applying to prescription assistance programs. NeedyMeds: And how did you find your way to NeedyMeds? Mary: When we moved to the North Shore area in 2007, I connected with the Retired Senior Volunteer program and discovered NeedyMeds. It seemed like this was a good place for me to land. I’ve seen great changes since I first started here five years ago. The original mission of NeedyMeds remains amidst growth in a number of programs, employees, volunteers and even a change in location. NeedyMeds: Rumor has it that amongst your friends you are the one they call to teach people how to have fun! Mary: I do like to try new things. I picked up a new sport last summer. I had wanted to try stand-up paddle boarding and my husband got me one for my birthday. I really took to it and family and friends all had fun trying it, too. We entertained the neighbors when we tried hula hooping on the paddleboard. I have also tried yoga poses on the board. I enjoy reading a variety of books, playing board games, ladder ball and pool and thrive on time spent enjoying the company of friends and family.
NeedyMeds
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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DRUG DISCOUNT CARD The NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card saved users about $1,000,000 in the month of March
Clip, Print and Save NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card
BIN: 600428 RX PCN: 05080000 RX GRP: 05360001 ID: NM0903150000
NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card www.needymeds.org Patient: Simply present this card to a participating pharmacy to receive a discount on your prescription. Patients who have Medicare, including Part D, Medicaid or any state or federal prescription insurance can only use this card if they choose not to use their government-sponsored drug plan for their purchase. The card is not valid in combination with those programs. For questions concerning the card, call 1-888-602-2978 or visit www.drugdiscountcardinfo.com.
This is a drug discount program, not an insurance plan.
Pharmacist: Card must be presented to receive program benefits. Clear system of prior cardholder information associated with this universal cardholder ID. For processing questions, call Argus Health Systems at 1-866-921-7284.
THE NEEDYMEDS DRUG DISCOUNT CARD
With the free NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card you can save up to 80% off the price of your prescription medications. The card may be used by those without insurance and by those who decide not to use their insurance — for example if the drug is not covered under their plan, the copay or deductible is high, the cap has been reached, or if they are in the donut hole. Our NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card is accepted at more than 62,000 pharmacies, including major chains such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and at regional chains and local stores. There are no income, insurance or residency requirements, and no fees or registration process needed to use the card. One card can be shared with friends and family members, or they can print their own. The card can also be used for over-the-counter medications and medical supplies if written on a prescription blank, and pet prescription medicines bought at a pharmacy. The card is active immediately and never expires. Every time the card is used, NeedyMeds receives a small amount to keep our website up to date and growing.
DRUG CARD TIP About half of the 20 most frequently filled medications through the NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card are medications used to treat mental illness and related conditions. The card can be a great help in affording this class of medications that help so many people function. Several medications, such as Adderall, do not have patient assistance programs. This is when using the NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card may come in handy to save money. You should never pay full price for a medication, so remember to use the card for any medication you need help paying for. A valid prescription is required, as always. Call the toll-free drug discount card helpline number if you ever have questions at (888) 602-2978.
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PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
NeedyMeds
PAPTracker
PAPTracker PAPTracker is HIPAA-compliant, web-based software that streamlines and simplifies the management of patient assistance programs. PAPTracker is ideal for clinics, community health centers, hospitals and other groups that serve clients/patients that need access to prescription medications but cannot afford them. PAPTracker eliminates handwritten applications and repetitive entry of client and doctor information. It populates manufacturers’ applications using stored patient and prescriber information and automatically creates refill
reminders. PAPTracker always uses the most current information contained in our NeedyMeds PAP database. PAPTracker also provides over 75 patient, activity and demographic reports. NeedyMeds has limited grant funds available to help qualified small clinics ready to move from paper applications to this software solution. More information is on the NeedyMeds website and here: http:// www.needymeds.org/indices/paptracker.htm or email paptracker@needymeds.org.
TRACKER TIPS & UPDATES — “HOW DO I...?” PAPTracker’s on-line document storage is now available. You can add correspondence, state and federal benefits notification, income verification, and other documentation to your patient’s record. In essence the Patient Profile is now a “folder” in which you can save important documents. There is no additional cost for this new feature. On-line document capacity includes: • Document storage • Document classification and description • Expiration dates • “Refresh reminders” • Archiving
And speaking of great features, PAPTracker has a simple but effective Sample inventory and dispensing module. PAPTracker will create a sample inventory, update for additions and dispensed drugs, track sample orders and lot numbers, and print labels for samples.
To learn more about document storage and our sample module, email paptracker@needymeds.org.
NeedyMeds
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
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PAP UPDATES
The following programs are new: • Eisai Primary Care Assistance Program (Eisai Neurology and the Aricept PAP have been merged.) • Solstice Co-Pay Assistance Program The following programs have updated or new applications: • Genentech Access to Care Foundation (TNKase,Cathflo,Activase) • Abbott Medical Nutrition Products Patient Assistance Program • Synvisc Connection Personalized Reimbursement • Bristol-Myers Squibb Baraclude Patient Assistance Program • Johnson & Johnson Patient Assistance Program • Johnson & Johnson Hospital Access Patient Assistance Program • Rx Outreach Medications • Bristol-Myers Squibb Access Virology Patient Assistance Program • Sunovion Support Prescription Assistance Program • ENcourage Foundation • Cornerstone Cares • Valeant Patient Assistance Program • Leo Pharma Patient Assistance Program • Xubex Patient Assistance Program • Eisai Primary Care Assistance Program • Phoslyra Patient Assistance Program • ACT Program • Equetro Patient Assistance Program • Marplan Patient Assistance Program • MEDA Patient Assistance Program • ViroPharma Charitable Foundation
NeedyMeds Receives GuideStar Approval NeedyMeds received the GuideStar Exchange Seal, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability provided by GuideStar USA, Inc., the premier source of nonprofit information. The Seal demonstrates NeedyMeds’ commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability. In order to be awarded the GuideStar Exchange Seal, NeedyMeds had to fill out every required field of our report page on www.guidestar. org. We hope you will check us out and tell us what you think: http://www2.guidestar.org/ ReportOrganization.aspx?ein=75-2982439.
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NEEDYMEDS STAFF RICHARD SAGALL, MD President richsagall@needymeds.org ALANNA FLANAGAN Call Center Supervisor alanna@needymeds.org
KAREN GRENHAM Call Center Representative karen@pap-apps.org
BILL KYROUZ Research Associate bkyrouz@needymeds.org
PEGGY PEPLAR Call Center Representative peggy@pap-apps.org
DAMARIS MERCEDES Bilingual Helpline/Research Associate damaris@needymeds.org
ROBERTA DOWNEY Software Sales Manager roberta@needymeds.org
DIANNE OFFICER Administrative Asst./ Research Associate dianne@needymeds.org
ROBIN HOFFMAN Database & Research Mgr. robin@needymeds.org
ELIZABETH MESSENGER Outreach & Education Mgr. elizabeth@needymeds.org
RUTH ROWE Call Center Representative ruth@pap-apps.org
JAYE VAN DUSSEN Vice President jaye@needymeds.org
SAMUEL RULON-MILLER Technical Specialist samuel@needymeds.org
JULIE KAUTZ-MILLS Director of Outreach julie@needymeds.org
TONYA WHITE PAP Associate tonya@needymeds.org
NeedyMeds EMAIL info@needymeds.org OFFICE 978.281.6666 FAX 206.260.8850 ADDRESS PO Box 219 Gloucester, MA 01931
PATIENTADVOCATENEWS | MAY 2012
NeedyMeds