Improving Efficiency in Patient Access to Medication Assistance Programs.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Medication assistance programs (MAPs) are vital for patients with chronic conditions who face financial barriers to medication access.
• Adherence to medication is critical for managing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart failure, and cancer, but cost is a significant impediment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve patient access to medication assistance programs (MAPs) by optimizing the enrollment process.
• To enhance the efficiency of MAP operations and reduce delays in patient treatment.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project focused on streamlining the MAP enrollment workflow.
• Key interventions included developing FAQs, standardizing documentation and referrals, and creating dedicated office spaces for MAP technicians.
• Statistical analysis used Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests to evaluate changes.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 56% increase in new patient MAP enrollments (p < .01).
• Increased the number of medications provided by 33%.
• Significantly reduced the average processing time from patient referral to application approval.

Conclusions:

• The project successfully enhanced patient access to essential medications through MAPs.
• Optimized pharmacy technician resources and significantly decreased processing times, thereby preventing treatment delays.
• Future plans involve expanding the process to annual reenrollments and formalizing MAP technician roles.