Dear Friend,
Thank you for taking a moment to review The Medicine Program. We are receiving inquiries from state and federal agencies and other health providers nationwide concerning our services. Our primary objective is to assist the many individuals who are regularly required to take prescription medication, but lack adequate income to fill their prescriptions each month.
There are many independently sponsored patient assistance programs available to the general public which provide prescription medicine at no charge to individuals in need, regardless of age, if they meet the sponsor’s criteria.
More and more of these philanthropic programs are becoming available.
Surprisingly, the eligibility requirements are more lenient than one might think. The 1996 Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs states the amount of household family income for qualifying individuals ranges from below the national poverty level to over $40,000.00 in annual earnings.
Although access to these patient assistance programs is widely and immediately available, general knowledge of their existence has been slow to spread. The basis of our service as it relates to these programs is three fold:
1.) Inform
the potentially qualifying individual about the
existence of patient assistance programs;
and provide the basic
operational details of these programs.
2.) Provide
a Medication Information form for the potentially
qualified to list relevant information needed
to obtain a formal
application from the appropriate patient assistance
sponsor.
3.) Process
the information detailed in the aforementioned
Medication Information form, and prepare it
for submission in
the form of a written request to the patient’s
physician for
his/her assistance in obtaining and completing
the formal
application to the sponsor.
The physician’s recommendation has a significant bearing on the applicant’s approval and enrollment into the sponsor’s program. Our experience indicates that most physicians are very cooperative, even enthusiastic in assisting their patients to enroll in these patient assistance programs. Upon acceptance of an individual into a sponsor’s program, their prescription medication is sent directly to their physician and from there dispensed to the patient. As you can imagine, it is immensely helpful for the patient to receive at NO COST, sponsor provided medication from the same personal physician who also provides his usual medical advice and care.
We have taken the liberty to enclose a typical applicant informational letter and Medication Information form for your review. The Medicine Program charges a $5.00 processing fee for each medication requested. If, after a 120 day period elapses, and the applicant has received no medication under this program, his entire application fee is refundable upon request. Because of our guarantee policy, the applicant does not risk his application fee if, under the sponsor’s criteria, he is determined to be ineligible. To initiate the application process, your client should simply follow the instructions outlined in the informational letter and return the completed single page Medication Information form and processing fee to us. Within a few days after receiving the aforementioned from your client, he/she will be issued a written reply from our office.
If you believe this program may be of assistance to your clients, and you would like to make our service available through your office, feel free to copy and distribute the enclosed information.
If you would like to speak further with a representative of The Medicine
Program, please phone us at: 1 -573-778-1118. You can also visit the the Internet
address: http://www.ims-1.com/nonprof/freemed.html or send e-mail to:
Very Truly,
Cindy Hogg
The Medicine Program
P. O. Box 4182
Poplar Bluff, MO 63902-4182
The following is the informational letter we send to potential applicants:
Dear Friend,
Thank you for inquiring about the Medicine Program. Our function is to assist individuals, who find that their level of income has not kept pace with the rising cost of prescription medicine, to obtain an application to enroll in one or more of several available patient assistance programs. This process is accomplished with the cooperation of your physician. If you are approved and enrolled, your medication will be sent to your doctor and he will dispense it to you.
If the program’s sponsor approves your application, you will likely receive your medication at no charge. These programs are designed to help people of all ages. To be approved for enrollment, some of the primary requirements are:
1.) The
applicant has no insurance coverage for outpatient
prescription drugs.
2.) The
applicant does not qualify for a government program which
provides for prescription medication, e.g.
Medicaid.
3.) The
applicant’s income is at a level which causes a hardship
when the patient is required to purchase the
medication at
retail....to
be accepted into the program, the applicant’s
income must fall within the limits established
by his particular
sponsor.
The household income limit requirement varies with
each patient assistance program sponsor.
Examples listed in the 1996 Directory of Prescription
Drug
Patient Assistance Programs relate that individuals
with family
incomes ranging from below the national poverty
level up to
$40,000.00 annually can qualify. Decisions concerning which
medications are provided and which individuals
are accepted into
the
programs are made by the various program sponsors.
If you believe there is a possibility that you may qualify and desire our assistance, please mail to us the following:
1.) The
name, address and phone number of the person taking the
medication.
2.) The
name of the medication(s).
3.) The
name of the company who manufactures the medication.
(If the patient does not know the name of
the manufacturer, most
any pharmacy can provide it.)
4.) The
name of your doctor who prescribes the medication.
5.) The
Medicine Program charges a one time, $5.00 processing fee
for EACH medication requested. It is payable to “The Medicine
Program” and should be mailed to us along
with the above
requested information about the patient’s
medication. The
Medicine Program guarantees that if, after
a 120 day period
elapses, and the applicant has received no
medication under this
program, his entire application fee is refundable
upon request.
Because of our guarantee policy the applicant
does not risk his
application fee if, under the sponsor’s criteria
he is
determined to be ineligible.
Within a few days after receiving your information and fee, we will respond to you by return mail. One of the items you will receive from us will be a letter addressed to your doctor. This letter provides the doctor with information about this program and requests his/her cooperation. The doctor’s letter will also provide an access number to your particular patient assistance program sponsor. You should read, sign and forward the doctor’s letter to him/her immediately after you have received and read it.
Patient assistance programs have helped many people who cannot afford expensive prescription medicine. Although we cannot guarantee your approval, if you believe you may qualify to participate, we will be diligent in our efforts to assist you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call The Medicine Program number: 1 573 778 1118.
Very Truly,
The Medicine Program
P.O. Box 515,
Doniphan, MO 63935 0515
(573) 778 1118