Utilization of Pharmaceutical Patient and Prescription Assistance Programs via a Pharmacy Department Patient Assistance Program for Indigent Cancer Patients.

Background: With the advances in cancer treatments, mortality rates in the United States have been consistently falling but they are accompanied by substantial increases in the cost of cancer care. Patient and prescription assistance programs (PPAPs) are offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide free medications to medically indigent patients. To assist the Cancer Care Center (CCC) at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) with drug costs for chemotherapies, the pharmacy department uses a patient assistance program (PAP) to obtain medications from the drug companies at no cost.

Use of a Prescription-Assistance Program for Medically Uninsured Patients With Cancer: Case Study of a Public Hospital Experience in New York State.

Purpose: With the advances in early detection, prevention, and treatment of some cancers, mortality rates in the United States have been consistently falling. However, with these successes have come substantial increases in the cost of cancer care. Antineoplastics are the leading class in hospital drug expenditures.