Editor’s Note: A serious diagnosis takes a heavy toll on patients, medically and financially. Expert financial navigation can make a huge difference in patients’ lives by connecting them with the resources they need to afford care. In the fourth installment of our “Patient Stories” series, learn how navigator Greta Strom from our TailorMed Complete team eased the financial burden for a patient with lymphoma.
*
Financial navigator: Greta Strom
Diagnosis: Mantle cell lymphoma
Type of healthcare organization: Hospital-based cancer center
Medication: Bendeka
Assistance program: Healthwell Foundation grant
Costs covered: Around $1,250 per dose
Patient financial responsibility without assistance: $373.99 copay per dose, given every 21 days
Patient financial responsibility with assistance: $0
Financial navigator Greta Strom from our TailorMed Complete team worked with a Medicare patient who had been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma. The patient was prescribed Bendeka, a type of chemotherapy, as well as two other cancer drugs.
When Greta called the patient to find out if she met the criteria for foundation assistance, she learned that the patient had recently lost her husband. Her husband had managed the household finances, and he’d made several large purchases before he passed away. The patient was left with bills for new appliances and payments for a vehicle she couldn’t use. These expenses compounded the financial burden she faced due to her cancer treatment.
Greta secured a grant for the patient from the HealthWell Foundation. “Even though I explained the grant would help cover just one of her three medications, she was so appreciative,” Greta said. “This assistance will make a big impact for her.”
The HealthWell Foundation has already paid one of the patient’s claims, saving her several hundred dollars. The patient feels relieved, knowing this lifesaving treatment will be covered going forward. In addition, Greta is monitoring assistance opportunities to cover the patient’s other medications. When relevant funds open, Greta will help her complete the enrollment process and secure additional savings.
This hands-on financial care will allow the patient to focus on what matters most: her treatment and recovery.
Interested in partnering with our TailorMed Complete team to optimize assistance and reach more patients? Contact us to learn more.
