Tammy Richardson: the consequences of expensive copays

Tammy Richardson is a pharmacy technician specialist in the liver clinic at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas.  

During a typical work day, she works with her team to get hepatitis C medications approved by insurance and help patients get assistance paying for their treatment. 

It’s a demanding job, but Tammy is determined to protect her patients from the consequences of expensive copays. She knows that when patients face insurmountable treatment costs, they sacrifice other daily necessities.

Many [patients] are not taking other important medications or not buying food.”

But that isn’t the most alarming thing. 

Patients are willing to go without their hepatitis drugs and risk getting cirrhosis or needing a liver transplant.” 

When Tammy recognizes that financial hardship is forcing her patients to make difficult decisions about their health, she turns to PAN.  

Tammy uses PAN’s patient assistance app, FundFinder, and pharmacy portal, to find and secure financial  support for her patients. By connecting her patients with charitable assistance, Tammy helps remove financial barriers to care, ensuring that patients can access the medications they need and adhere to their course of treatment as prescribed.  

PAN has given numerous patients the ability to afford their medicines. These grants have brought many of our patients to tears.”