Treatment & Care Delivery (TCD)

Ari Brooks, MD, Asst. Professor, College of Medicine, Surgery Control, Drexel University – Team Chair

Thank you to members of the PAC³ Treatment & Care Delivery (TCD) Implementation Team who joined the conference call held on Thursday, December 4.

This call contained important information regarding the current and future direction of PAC³ implementation efforts and provided an opportunity for all team members to discuss next steps.

Materials referenced during the call are below, as well as minutes from the call. If you need anything in addition to these materials or have any questions, please contact the PAC³ Coordinating Office at 412-623-0033 or pac3@upmc.edu

View Minutes from the December 4, 2008 TCD Team Conference Call
View the PowerPoint Slides
View Minutes from the October 23, 2008 TCD Team Conference Call

Previous TCD Team Meetings and Materials

June 12, 2008: The Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes
February 29, 2008: Wyndham Garden Hotel Harrisburg/Hershey – View Minutes
October 3, 2007: The Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes
August 3, 2007: American Cancer Society, Pennsylvania Division, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes
March 29, 2007: Toftrees Resort & Conference Center, State College, PA – View Minutes
November 29, 2006: The Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes
September 29, 2006: Penn Stater Conference Center & Hotel, State College, PA – Minutes not Available
June 2, 2006: Conference Call – View Minutes
May 18, 2006: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes
February 10, 2006: Wyndham Harrisburg-Hershey – View Minutes
September 30, 2005: Conference Call – View Minutes
September 9, 2005: Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference Center, Harrisburg, PA
- View Minutes from General Session
- View Minutes from TCD Team Meeting
May 13, 2005: Holiday Inn East, Harrisburg, PA – View Minutes

Cancer Treatment and Care Delivery recognizes the importance of providing the highest quality care for all individuals in Pennsylvania affected by cancer, at all stages of disease, and in all settings of care.

To effectively reduce the burden of cancer, state-of-the-art treatment options must be available, affordable, and accessible to our diverse citizenry across the state. It is critical to integrate and coordinate treatment and support programs and services in order to make the best use of these resources throughout Pennsylvania. We also must recruit and retain the best professionals to provide the care needed and those professionals must empower patients to make informed decisions about their care.

TCD Team Initiatives

Continue geo-mapping of late state CRC diagnosis, medical resources, and specific sociodemographics.
Compile medication reimbursement sources for inclusion on PAC³ Asset Inventory.
Organize Medicare Part D teleconferences (completed).

Useful Websites

Abbott – Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to discovering new medicines, new technologies and new ways to manage health.
American Society of Health System Pharmacists –This comprehensive information site provides information concerning patient assistance programs and the use of these programs to increase medication access.
Amgen
AstraZeneca
Ave Maria Pharmacy Services
Bridges to Access – Bridges to Access, GlaxoSmithKline's patient assistance program for non-oncology medicines, provides out-patient medications to eligible low-income patients residing in the United States who do not have prescription drug benefits.
Cancer Supportive Care Programs – The mission of the Cancer Supportive Care website is to provide multidisciplinary information and services for cancer patients and their families/friends. This particular website provides a compilation of drug assistance programs from numerous pharmaceutical companies.
Celgene – Celgene is a multinational integrated biopharmaceutical company, primarily engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies designed to treat cancer and immunological diseases through regulation of genomic and proteomic targets. Celgene makes Thalidomide and Ravlamide – a new high cost medication for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), which can progress to become leukemia. To ensure that the greatest number of patients as possible can access these medications, Celgene has created a resource for you and your healthcare provider called Patent Support Solutions (PSS).
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
ChainDrugCard.com – Free Rx discount card for uninsured families. Savings up to 30%.
EdHayes.com – Website compiled by an individual that contains the name and telephone numbers of companies that have indigent programs in place.
Kmart Pharmacy Discount Card Program – Free Kmart pharmacy discount card program. 90 day supply of select generic medication only $15.00!
Eli Lilly
Innovation.org – Innovation.org is a national coalition that has launched the largest-ever private-sector program to help patients who lack prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need.
Merck
National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families.
National Organization for Rare Disorders – The NORD is a unique federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. Since 1987, NORD has administered programs to assist uninsured or under-insured individuals in securing life-saving or life-sustaining medications.
Novartis
NeedyMeds.com – NeedyMeds is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission of helping people who cannot afford medicine or healthcare costs. The information at NeedyMeds is available anonymously and free of charge.
Pfizer
Partnership for Prescription Assistance – The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America's pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that's right for them.
PhRMA.org – The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives.
Roche – Roche is a pioneer in providing our drugs, free, to patients who lack prescription coverage and the means to pay for the medications they need. In fact, the Roche Patient Assistance Program was one of the first in the industry, setting the standard for assisting patients in need since the early 1960´s.
RxAssist – RxAssist is a pharmaceutical access information center created by Volunteers in Health Care (VIH), a national resource center for safety net organizations. VIH operates out of the Brown University Center for Primary Care and Prevention, based at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, a Brown Medical School teaching and research facility located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
RxHope – RxHope is the only patient assistance Internet initiative financially supported by PhRMA (Pharmaceutical and Research Manufacturers of America) and participating pharmaceutical companies.
Schering Plough
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
SPOC Online – Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Online is a reimbursement resource for Genentech marketed products that provides information to patients and their health care providers.
United Way HelpConnections Database – This database features the most extensive directory of health and human service programs in the Western Penn. region. Whether you want to quit smoking, find a children's program, need someone to care for an elderly parent, or are looking for a support group, this is where to turn.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals – For many years, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has been committed to helping patients in need receive their medications.

In addition to the above websites, the TCD Team has compiled a List of Major Pharmaceutical Companies with contact information to assist patients in finding prescription drug assistance.

You can also view a Directory of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Patient Assistance Programs, which has been assembled by Pennsylvania State Representative Jess Stairs (59th Legis. Dist.).

Please note that information on medication availability can change rapidly. This booklet may not always reflect the most current changes.
Because program guidelines and eligible medications offered by pharmaceutical companies can change frequently, it is recommended that you contact the company directly about your specific medications.
Please contact your physician to see if a certain program is right for you.
For a hard copy of this booklet, please contact the offices of Rep. Jess Stairs.

PAC³ will be updating this list as often as possible. Should there be any other informational resources that make strides in achieving PAC³'s priority goal to Provide all Pennsylvanians with access to high-quality, accurate, and current information based on individual and population factors for all aspects of cancer, from prevention to end-of-life care, please contact the PAC³ Coordinating Office to inquire about listing that resource on the PAC³ website.

"Together ... Making our Vision a Reality"