Written by Angie Baker and Stef Parks, Leaders in Patient Access and Reimbursement As many drug manufacturers continue to develop new and innovative therapies for multiple disease states, we continue to see an evolution in the system through which payers (insurance companies/PBMs) use to process and pay claims. Copay...
Narrative Advocacy in Healthcare by Kaitey Morgan, RN, BSN, CRNI
“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” — Roger C. Schank, Ph.D., cognitive psychologist Anyone who has worked in healthcare or been a patient—so, everyone—has likely had a frustrating experience trying to coordinate access to care. These experiences leave...
Advice For The Newly Diagnosed
You have just been diagnosed with a complex, chronic disease… now what? It is normal to feel a lot of anxiety and uncertainty with a new diagnosis. With one big answer can come a plethora of questions. We talked to Lupus warrior and inspirational fitness trainer, Sybella Davis, on...
How To Prepare For Your First Infusion
The following post is written by Sumaira Ahmed, matriarch of The Sumaira Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to generating global awareness of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), fundraising to help find a cure, and creating a community of support for patients and their caregivers. I used to be...
The Pharmacy Benefit Manager and 3rd Grade Math
From the Broomstick of Julie Baak This is the 3rd grade math explanation of how Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) work: PBM denies $300 drug. They then force the doctor to use the $1200 version made by the same company with a different label, and makes the price $1194. And then,...
BCBST: A Case Study for Trends in the Commercial Insurance Landscape
The following article is written by Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Cristina Threlkeld for the National Infusion Center Association. Patients rely on easy and affordable access to their medications. Prescribing clinicians and sites of treatment also rely on accessibility and the flexibility to obtain these medications in the most cost-effective...
Infusions Instead of Back Surgery
Infusions Instead of Back Surgery by Steven Baak, MD My neighbor was walking slowly to his mailbox. I walked over and asked, “What happened to you?” “I’m going in for back surgery on Wednesday. I waited six months to get this scheduled with the best surgeon in the Midwest,”...