Dan Klein on Lack of Cost Sharing in Medicare, Drugs Coming Down the Pipeline

Dan Klein, President and CEO, Patient Access Network Foundation, discusses how the lack of a limit on cost sharing in Medicare affects patient outcomes and disease states that PAN Foundation is keeping an eye on.

Transcript

How does the lack of a limit on cost sharing in Medicare affect patient outcomes?

Patient outcomes are really complicated as far as the various factors that affect success with therapy. Obviously out-of-pocket costs are a well-known barrier to initiating treatment and to being adherent to treatment. So, we feel that we are able to address that successfully for many patients by giving them a grant that covers their out-of-pocket costs. But, it’s not a guarantee, so what we try to do is connect patients with other support services. We have a very active alliance partner program that patients can opt into, and if they need social support or peer support or help with other challenges they’re facing because of their illness, they can often get that from 1 of our patient advocacy partners.

Are there any disease states that PAN Foundation is keeping an eye on the drugs coming down the pipeline?

We’ve looked at a number of different diseases, and every year we have opened between 6 and 8 new disease funds, new indications that we provide assistance for. Some of the ones that we look at that are what we call prospective, we publish on our website so that potential donors can see them. One area that I know we’re interested in, that we’re taking a look at now, is amyloidosis. It’s a potentially large area; it’s a little different than the typical disease area. It’s got a lot of challenges in terms of different symptoms, and we may be able to put a fund in place for that this coming year.