AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Copay assistance programs for breast cancer12/18/2023 These programs tend to be heterogeneous, varying from those that provide only print materials or peer-support groups to provision of comprehensive care including professional therapists, social work, medical services, educational programs, transportation and even financial support. Types of patient assitance tested include clinical trials of physical therapy, nurse-led follow-up, group therapy, psycho-social and educational counseling which improve women’s quality of life, presumably by improving perceived physical symptoms and psychological functioning (Cruickshank et al. Such programs are but one type of patient assistance albeit the most researched, and often implemented by academic center clinical trials or through grant funding. Patient outreach and navigation programs have been shown to improve rates of early detection and follow through to biopsy and treatment (Bickell 2002 Ell et al. 2008) may be reduced through timely screening and appropriate treatment. Patients who currently use these programs are English speakers with more education.ĭisparities in breast cancer survival due to social determinants of health (Weir et al. Existing comprehensive patient assistance programs offer informational, psychological and financial support at low cost. At the cost of 73 dollars per hour encounters, patients reported benefiting the most from information resources (71% of patients) followed by emotional support (52% of patients) 5% of patients reported getting help with insurance, 5% with financial assistance, 4% with help obtaining medication, 2% with transportation. Patients who utilized patient assistance programs were significantly more likely to be English speaking (p=0.04) and have 1.5 years more advanced schooling than non-utilizers (p=0.008). We obtained the operating costs of the most utilized patient assistance program. 333 women with primary early stage breast cancer in New York City either chose to attend or abstain from attending one of these programs. Existing comprehensive patient assistance programs can help cancer patients overcome needs and barriers to care: yet the costs of such programs and who utilizes them is not well described.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |