If you are having trouble viewing this email, please click the following link.
http://www.visioncareprofessional.com/emails/genentech/newsletter/24/index.html

Easing the Way for Patients to Access AMD Medications
User-friendly assistance programs aid patients in receiving anti-VEGF treatments.
By Lisa Samalonis, Contributing Editor

Doctors and their staff can assist AMD patients in navigating patient assistance programs to receive their anti-VEGF injections. Programs with comprehensive online access and telephone support, such as Genentech Access Solutions, make connecting patients with their medicine easier.

Advertisement
Initially, program enrollment takes a bit of time to set up, but it's worth the effort due to high cost of treatment and co-pays. For example, typical anti-VEGF treatment with Lucentis (ranibizumab injection, Genentech) assuming seven injections per year at a cost of approximately $2300 per injection, totals about $16,100, according to Andrew N. Antoszyk, MD, in practice with Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates, in Charlotte, NC. "This figure represents the cost of medication alone, and does not include the charges for visits, imaging studies and injections," he says.

Dr. Antoszyk has been using Genentech Access Solutions with his patients since its inception. His staff is trained to help patients with program enrollment. "We use the Access Solutions program for all of our patients who require FDA-approved anti-VEGF therapy for a variety of disorders, including exudative macular degeneration," says Dr. Antoszyk.

Available Assistance
Genentech Access Solutions is designed to enable patients to obtain their prescribed Genentech medication. Through the user-friendly online patient access management system, My Patient Solutions, practices can manage patient access cases from online enrollment to treatment, including electronic document management, benefits investigation and refill requests. Physicians and staff also receive system alerts (such as a "Statement of Medical Necessity expiring in 30 days" warning), which tell them what actions need to be taken with regard to a patient's medication. An online support call center is also available.

The program is useful for patients who are uninsured, who have been denied coverage by an insurer or who need co-pay assistance. Last year, Genentech's program supported more than 100,000 patients with access issues.1 In addition, the company supports privately insured patients through its co-pay card programs.

In Dr. Antoszyk's practice, one staff member is assigned the task of helping patients with the Patient Access program and monitoring the entire process. "We use Access Solutions to assess the patient's insurance plan and determine his potential liability for the use of Lucentis, for instance. Access Solutions gathers insurance and financial data from patients and performs an analysis to determine if the patient will have a co-pay obligation, if so how much, and also whether the patient would be eligible for one of the assistance programs," he explains. If a patient has no insurance and meets less than a certain income level, he is eligible for free medication. If Access Solutions determines that a patient qualifies for third-party charity assistance, he is referred to a third-party charity organization such as the Chronic Disease Fund (CDF), which then contacts the patient to obtain financial information. Patients who qualify are then enrolled in the program.

Tips for Guiding Patients

Designate a Go-to Person. This office member coordinates patient enrollment and knows the ins-and-outs of Access Solutions.
Get Organized. In order to ease the process and stay organized, set up a spreadsheet, listing all patients who have signed up for the program.
Keep Track. In the spreadsheet, note if the patient has been approved and if so, note the amount. "Every time a patient comes in for treatment, that dollar amount is debited," explains Dr. Antoszyk.
Follow-up. Although patients are responsible for discussing their financial information with Genentech and the CDF, office staff can facilitate the process.

By helping patients utilize the Patient Access Program for anti-VEGF treatment, practices can efficiently stay on top of reimbursements.


Reference
1.Genentech Access Solutions website. http://www.genentech-access.com/hcp/learn-about-us, Accessed April 29, 2013.

Retinal Physician | 323 Norristown Road, Suite 200, Ambler, PA 19002 | 215-646-8700
If you prefer not to receive e-mail from Retinal Physician, please use the following link to remove your e-mail address from this list: Unsubscribe
This message was transmitted by PentaVision LLC | 323 Norristown Road, Suite 200, Ambler, PA 19002 | 215-646-8700
View the PentaVision LLC Privacy Policy | Contact Us - Please do not reply to this e-mail message.
Please make sure our e-mail messages don't get marked as spam by adding visioncareprofessionalemail.com to your "approved senders" list.