Shields "Care Corner" Blog

No Substitute For Kindness

John, recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, had to undergo numerous tests and was prescribed a variety of new specialty medications over the past few months for his doctors to determine the best course of treatment. He had become understandably overwhelmed by the entire process and began to lose hope as each medication his physician prescribed did not seem to improve his condition or quality of life.

 

A pharmacy liaison assigned to his case decided to call him one day and introduce herself. When John picked up the phone, he was greeted by a caring, friendly voice on the other end of the phone, who introduced herself as his personal pharmacy liaison. John’s physician had just prescribed a new specialty medication for him to try, and he was concerned about dealing with the paperwork, expensive co-pay, treatment management, and the potential side effects of the drug. All of these worries were piled on top of the fact that he was not feeling well already. Without John even asking, the pharmacy liaison began to explain to him that she had already obtained a prior authorization and had gone ahead and secured complete financial assistance for his new medication.

 

When John heard this news, a wave of relief swept over him. He listened as his liaison told him about the extensive treatment support services that his hospital specialty pharmacy could offer him, including home delivery and refill reminder calls, and finally, how his pharmacy liaison would be a resource for him whenever he needed it.

 

John ended up speaking with his liaison on the phone for close to 45 minutes, informing her of his health problems and how, although he was strictly adherent to all his past medications, they never seemed to work effectively for him. As he expressed his frustration about his treatment process and chronic condition, his liaison had an idea that might help him. She instructed John to log onto his computer and access the drug manufacturer’s website. She helped him navigate through the website to learn more information about this new drug that he would be starting to take soon. Together, they watched an injection training video so that he would feel more at ease about this transition and new administering technique. After the video, she took the time to listen and address any questions or concerns John had about the new medication. As he spoke with his liaison and learned more about his new treatment, his frustration and anxiety lessened, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. No paperwork, no co-pay, no gap in information – no stress.

 

Towards the end of the phone call, John was relieved and delighted about his new pharmacy liaison resource. He told her that he had never spoken to a health care professional that he felt was truly concerned with his well-being. He expressed how grateful he was for her time and effort in going above and beyond for him. John is optimistic about beginning his new treatment, and now knows that with a pharmacy liaison like that on his team, he has all the support and help he needs to move forward.

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