Staff member spotlight: Ayesha Azam, Director of Provider Relations
Ms. Azam manages PAN’s medical provider and pharmacy outreach. She ensures that PAN’s providers and pharmacies receive high-quality customer service from our call center and claims administration partners. Prior to joining the PAN Foundation, Ms. Azam was a Patient Access Specialist at the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation. She implemented a prior authorization solution to reduce administrative burdens at CF clinics and developed insurance content for the CF community. Ms. Azam has a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics Administration from the University of Maryland University College and Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
1. What is your role at PAN, and how long have you worked here?
I am the Director of Provider Relations and I joined the PAN team in July 2015. My role is to serve as a liaison for healthcare providers and pharmacies so they can find assistance for their patients.
2. As Director of Provider Relations, what do you hope to accomplish?
My goals are to ensure that our healthcare providers and pharmacies are informed of PAN’s services, and that their questions and concerns are resolved immediately. We know that many people struggle to pay for their medication because it is too expensive, and that is heartbreaking. By educating others about PAN, and ensuring people can get assistance quickly and efficiently, my hope is that no one will need to make personal sacrifices to afford their medications.
3. What do you find most rewarding about your job?
The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that PAN is part of a larger effort to help people all over the country access their treatments. Our providers and pharmacists dedicate so much time and energy to finding the right assistance programs, and our support allows them to spend less time on the paperwork and more time with their patients.
4. Tell us something we don’t know about you.
A few years ago, I coordinated a genetic testing program that helped more than 3,000 people with cystic fibrosis learn their mutations. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease, so learning a patient’s specific mutation helps doctors prescribe targeted, life-saving treatments.