title: Accessing patient assistance programs to meet clients' medication needs.
abstract: The high cost of medication is a barrier to patient compliance. Nurse practitioners can access patient assistance programs to assist low-income clients to obtain medications, empowering them to take action to improve their health. At Health Care Access, a primary care clinic serving low-income, uninsured persons, approximately $150,000 worth of medications were obtained through patient assistance programs in 1997, compared to the total clinic budget of $189,000. Processes for obtaining prescription drugs vary between pharmaceutical companies. An understanding of these types of programs provides nurse practitioners access to these resources for their clients.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. kristi@dole.lsi.ukans.edu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D016527:Drug Costs; D004345:Drug Industry; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008483:Medical Assistance; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D011203:Poverty; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*