The high out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of oral oncology agents frequently place a financial burden on patients and their families, leading patients and their families to implement coping mechanisms to manage the hardship. The effects can be cumulative, affecting patients and their families long after treatment has ended. While many sources of financial help are available, navigating the complexities of accessing program funding requires time, energy, and the knowledge that they exist. The integrated care model of health system specialty pharmacy is optimally positioned to access patient assistance program funds for patient benefit.
KEY CONCEPTS:
- Financial toxicity is a significant risk for all patients, but especially for those with cancer.
- Patient assistance programs (PAPs) are often available to help cover the cost of oral oncology agents.
- An integrated health system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) model is best able to identify and address the risk of financial toxicity early in a patient’s treatment journey.
- Shields Health Solutions (Shields) can help reduce financial toxicity in oncology care by connecting patients to PAPs; we secured $672 million in financial assistance (FA) for oncology patients in 2022.
