AmerisourceBergen, a global healthcare solutions leader, recognizes that the impending economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have a significant impact on patient access to critical and life-saving therapies (click here for infographic). Over the past 2 weeks, there were 8.7 million new claims for unemployment insurance benefits across the United States due to layoffs and reduced work hours resulting from the economic impact of the coronavirus.1 These newly laid-off workers may, in turn, lose employer-sponsored health insurance or lack the resources to afford a health plan on the individual market. Down the road, the economic downturn may also drain state budgets, forcing state governments to make difficult decisions regarding Medicaid benefits and eligibility. And, even those individuals and families maintaining health insurance coverage via a commercial plan or Medicare may be forced to make difficult decisions regarding prescribed therapies, potentially necessitating a greater need for copay and foundation assistance.
AmerisourceBergen and its strategic consulting and field reimbursement and access services company, Xcenda, partner with pharmaceutical manufacturers to help them ensure they can adequately and appropriately support their patient access programs, particularly through this pandemic. The current level of awareness and usage of these programs provide challenges on 2 fronts—both at the patient and provider levels. Recent patient surveys show that less than 1 in 5 patients are aware of support services available to them.2 Concurrently, healthcare providers’ uptake of these programs is similarly challenged with only 40% of providers aware of manufacturer-sponsored programs.3 To help manufacturers mitigate these dual challenges, reimbursement and access field teams have become an industry standard in oncology over the past 15 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the reimbursement and access field teams at Xcenda continue to assist providers’ offices virtually to ensure patient access to therapies and continue to drive awareness and use of these crucial programs provided by manufacturer partners.
References
- Economic Policy Institute. 3.5 million workers likely lost their employer-provided health insurance in the past two weeks. April 2, 2020. www.epi.org/blog/3-5-million-workers-likely-lost-their-employer-provided-health-insurance-in-the-past-two-weeks. Accessed April 10, 2020.
- Accenture. Pharma’s growing opportunity in patient services: key findings from a survey of 200+ patient services executives in the pharmaceutical industry. www.accenture.com/us-en/patient-services-survey-pharma. Accessed April 10, 2020.
- Accenture. Lack of Awareness Limiting Use of Patient Services, Accenture Research Finds. September 7, 2017. https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/lack-of-awareness-limiting-use-of-patient-services-accenture-research-finds.htm. Accessed April 10, 2020.