Tammy Richardson: the consequences of expensive copays

Tammy Richardson is a pharmacy technician specialist in the liver clinic at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas.  

During a typical work day, she works with her team to get hepatitis C medications approved by insurance and help patients get assistance paying for their treatment. 

It’s a demanding job, but Tammy is determined to protect her patients from the consequences of expensive copays. She knows that when patients face insurmountable treatment costs, they sacrifice other daily necessities.

“Many [patients] are not taking other important medications or not buying food,” Tammy says. But that isn’t the most alarming thing. “Patients are willing to go without their hepatitis drugs and risk getting cirrhosis or needing a liver transplant.”

When Tammy recognizes that financial hardship is forcing her patients to make difficult decisions about their health, she turns to PAN.  

PAN has given numerous patients the ability to afford their medicines. These grants have brought many of our patients to tears.”

Tammy looks for financial support for her patients among PAN’s disease funds, and using PAN’s patient assistance app, FundFinder. By connecting her patients with charitable assistance, Tammy helps remove financial barriers to care, ensuring that patients can access the medications they need and adhere to their course of treatment as prescribed.  

Do you have a story about how PAN has helped your patients? We would love to hear from you!

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