Spotlight Shines on Our Financial Assistance Program

It’s our privilege to help patients afford the cost of prescriptions. In a recent blog post, we discussed the work Becki and Mike do to find sources of financial assistance and the nearly $7 million they’ve saved patients in the last three years.

One of those sources is the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation, an organization that helps insured people cover out-of-pocket costs for their prescribed medications. PAN believes that high deductibles and co-pays should not prevent people from obtaining medically necessary treatment for serious illness.

PAN works with pharmacies and medication dispensaries to cover the cost of prescriptions for patients who have difficulty affording treatment. Becki, who manages our medication dispensary, has established a strong relationship with PAN, which serves our patients well. In fact, the relationship is so good that PAN featured an interview with Becki in their current Pharmacy Newsletter. You can read the interview in its entirety below.

Pharmacy Spotlight, Spring 2018

An interview with Becki Tinder, Certified Pharmacy Technician, The Ghosh Center for Oncology & Hematology

Where do you work and what is your position?

I manage the medication dispensary at the Ghosh Center. I also do all the prior authorizations and find financial assistance for patients.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I believe it is my calling in life to help patients. Before coming to The Ghosh Center, I worked in both retail and hospital settings. Cancer patients are so grateful for every moment, and I thought this was an opportunity to take everything that I’ve learned over the last 25 years as a pharmacy technician and do something meaningful. Knowing that I’ve made a difference in at least one person’s life—maybe even one day on their cancer journey—means more to me than anything.

How has the PAN Foundation affected your patients?

It has made cancer care more affordable. There are patients who absolutely would have denied getting treatment because they couldn’t afford it. It has made things affordable and has given them time to spend with their loved ones.

Tell us about the patients you see at The Ghosh Center.

Our patients are mostly Medicare eligible, so probably 90% are 65 and older. We see a lot of lung, colon and breast cancer here in the Midwest. Social Security income is not carrying many of our patients through their day-to-day needs. When you throw a diagnosis like cancer on top of it, I would say that most of our patients need some sort of assistance.

Can you tell us about one of your patients?

I have one patient who brings home-baked cookies and treats on a weekly basis because we got him assistance with a high-cost and life-saving medication that he otherwise couldn’t afford. He goes out of his way to bake me goodies and drops them off at my desk. He knows the way to my heart!

To see the newsletter, including Becki’s interview, go to the Spring 2018 Pharmacy Newsletter. Her interview will even be featured in PAN’s annual report!