Medication assistance programs are an integral element in providing quality healthcare services to the community. Every member should have access to healthcare; it is unthinkable and unfair that financial constraints can deny access to different forms of healthcare. Medication assistance programs serve as a safety net for those in communities who are not financially secure to afford medication (Khan et al., 2018).
The task force required to design the medical assistance program should be adept at having a maximum positive impact on the less privileged in need of prescription drugs and other forms of treatment. Some of the stakeholders I would ensure are included in the task force comprise prescribers, financial navigators, suppliers, bookkeepers, and subsidizers. Their expertise is essential in making the medication assistance program a success.
Medication assistance programs are meant to assist those who cannot fund their medications, such as individuals lacking insurance coverage. However, in some cases, for example, cancer, the health expenses are more than what the insurance can cover. Financial navigators offer financial literacy to patients about their treatment and help them arrive at the best decision. Financial navigators are necessary to help people receive cost-saving treatments that are manageable to the program and help patients who are not wholly covered by insurance assess their options.
Prescribers are responsible for making the treatment decision for patients based on the patient’s diagnosis, characteristics, and laboratory findings. Prescribers would be vital since they would recommend the optimal treatment for patients suffering from different ailments. A prescriber would be resourceful in the task force because they offer advice on the drugs that should be stocked to help patients suffering from a particular disease/condition.
A bookkeeper serves roles that are key to the functioning of the medication assistance program. Some of them include keeping stock of the drugs available and keeping track of all the incomes and the various expenditures incurred. Bookkeepers ensure accountability within the program, hence reducing irregular expenditure and misappropriation of funds meant for the program. Bookkeepers are integral in decision-making made as they update all stakeholders on the financial position of the program, thus dictating whether a decision is financially sustainable.
High premiums are the main reason why most people do not have medical cover. One of the critical roles of the program is to make them affordable to ordinary citizens. Subsidizers are tasked with offering subsidies to a select group genuinely in need of subsidies. Subsidizers facilitate and encourage even the less privileged to have medical cover. Medical covers for everyone will ensure access to healthcare attention when a need arises. In the group, a subsidizer would be resourceful in helping patients who have financial constraints obtain a subsidized medical cover which would help them.
Suppliers are an integral part of a medical assistance program. Besides availing of drugs and therapeutic supplies, they can access the best medical resources and the latest medical technology. Suitable suppliers would help acquire quality medical supplies at the best prices. They will also help in prioritizing products as they are aware of the availability of those products. Having a supplier in the task force would help save costs by acquiring top-quality products at the best prices.
I would choose the prescriber to be the group facilitator. This is because they are conversant with the medical field and specifically in administering medication. The prescriber is the best place to facilitate all the operations of the program. With the task force’s support, I intend to improve and facilitate access and adherence to prescribed medication to the uninsured population and to help as many financially constrained people have medical covers as the resources allow. We aim to achieve this goal by having all stakeholders work diligently to help as many financially disadvantaged populations have access to healthcare services as possible.
Reference
Khan, G., Karabon, P., & Lerchenfeldt, S. (2018). Use of prescription assistance programs after the Affordable Health Care Act. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 24(3), 247-251.