July 8, 2015

Patient Access Network Foundation launches new heart failure patient assistance fund

For immediate release

PAN contact:

Margaret Figley, Director of Communications

WASHINGTON, DC, July 8, 2015 – The Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation today announced the launch of a new patient assistance program for Medicare patients being treated for heart failure. Qualifying patients will be eligible for grants to help cover the out-of-pocket costs associated with their prescribed heart failure medications. Approximately 670,000 new heart failure cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S., and it is the only cardiovascular disease on the rise, according to the Heart Failure Society of America.

“The PAN Foundation is excited to be able to help patients with their out-of-pocket treatment costs for heart failure, a disease that affects nearly 5 million Americans,” said PAN President and CEO Daniel Klein. “We are committed to easing patients’ financial burdens so that they can access the critical medications they need to best manage their conditions and focus on improving their health and quality of life.”

Patients who qualify for the PAN Foundation’s heart failure assistance must have Medicare insurance and it must cover the medication for which they seek assistance. Eligible patients also must reside and receive treatment in the United States and have a household income at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level ($79,650 or less for a family of two).

“Providing patients with the best possible care is at the core of the American College of Cardiology’s mission and one of the driving goals behind the ACC’s CardioSmart.org patient education and empowerment initiative—and that often includes helping patients with access to medication,” said Mary Norine Walsh, M.D., FACC, ACC vice president and chair of the ACC Patient Centered Care Committee. “Cardiovascular health and quality of life should not suffer because a patient can’t afford medications. PAN’s heart failure fund will save lives by providing access to medicine that patients need to manage their heart disease effectively.”

Patients, or advocates and caregivers applying on their behalf, can apply for assistance using PAN’s new online patient portal (https://www.panapply.org) or by calling 1-866-316-PANF (7263), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. To learn more about PAN’s heart failure program, visit PAN Foundation Heart Failure.

The PAN Foundation now offers nearly 60 patient assistance programs, spanning cancer, chronic illnesses and rare diseases. The heart failure fund is the fourth program PAN has added to its spectrum of disease-specific financial assistance programs in 2015. Others include the expansion of its HIV/AIDS fund to include prevention therapies, the launch of a Parkinson’s disease fund, and an ovarian cancer fund.