Connecting Patients to Prescription Assistance Programs: Effects on Emergency Department and Hospital Utilization.

Background: Manufacturer prescription assistance programs (PAPs) have been developed to provide medications at little or no cost to eligible patients. There are over 200 PAPs available from pharmaceutical companies, and each may have different eligibility requirements and assistance guidelines. A formalized community-based patient prescription coordinator can help patients navigate these programs by reviewing an applicant's financial information and medication requirements to identify which PAPs are most appropriate.

Transmyocardial revascularization: 5-year follow-up of a prospective, randomized multicenter trial.

Background: In prospective randomized trials at 1 year, transmyocardial revascularization (TMR) provided superior relief of angina, decreased rehospitalizations, and improved exercise times. We evaluated 5-year mortality and angina class in "no-option" patients with diffuse coronary artery disease randomized to TMR or continued medical management.

Methods: Two hundred twelve patients with refractory class IV angina who were not candidates for conventional therapy were randomized to receive holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet TMR (n = 100) or continued medical management (n = 112) at nine centers.