2013 Edition of the ACCC Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide

ROCKVILLE, Md. – The Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) has just released the ACCC's 2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide, available in print and online at www.accc-cancer.org. Designed for healthcare providers, this guide brings together information on pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical patient assistance programs and reimbursement resources in a user-friendly format.

"Community cancer centers encounter patients every day who, for a variety of reasons, cannot afford their anticancer treatments or have difficulties paying bills in the face of a cancer diagnosis," said ACCC Executive Director Christian Downs, JD, MHA. "This guide, enhanced by feedback from ACCC members over the past two years, is full of resources to assist community cancer programs meet the ongoing challenges of ensuring access to care for all cancer patients."

While patient assistance programs can help to reduce financial hardships for patients and their families, the application process can be time consuming and tedious for providers and patients alike. These types of tasks can be daunting or near impossible for individuals or families dealing with the impact of a cancer diagnosis and the demands of treatment. This resource can streamline the process, providing focused and targeted information to secure assistance for patients and their families.

Results of ACCC's 2012 Cancer Care Trends in Community Cancer Centers survey reveal an enduring trend toward increasing numbers of patients struggling to afford their anticancer treatments. Among ACCC member hospitals participating in the survey, 95 percent reported that their cancer programs see patients who needed help with co-payments or co-insurance. ACCC's 2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide is a user-friendly resource that cancer center staff can refer to on a daily basis as they support their patients through diagnosis and treatment.

In direct response to member feedback, ACCC's 2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide is now available in two other formats. The digital edition is open to ACCC members. In the digital edition, members can link directly to the forms patients need, post sticky-notes directly onto the guide, and email information to colleagues and patients. This year, ACCC's 2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide is also available as a PDF that members can download and save directly onto their desktop. As with the digital edition, the PDF version allows users to link directly to the programs and forms the patients need.