Patient assistance program
Note: This information applies to the new prescriber (see New prescriber).
Wolf EMR integrates Patient Assistance Program (PAP) information directly on your prescriptions when prescribing participating medications. This copay program enables patients to receive brand-name medication at a subsidized cost from participating manufacturers. Patients do not need to register to participate.
Neither you nor your patients incur a cost to participate in the program. The pharmaceutical manufacturer covers all operating costs for the program. For more information about the program, see telushealth.com/pap.
Each provider chooses whether to participate in the program. Providers can also opt out at any time or the administrator can disable the feature for all users of the EMR. For more information, see Disabling or enabling the Patient Assistance Program.
When providers opt in, after they choose a medication to prescribe, the EMR checks to see if a program exists and, if so, an indicator within the medications window alerts you. If desired, a certification code will then be added on the prescription for the pharmacy to process and you can print an optional information sheet for the patient and pharmacy. For more information, see Prescribing medications in the Patient Assistance Program.
Participating medications
The following medications are part of the Patient Assistance Program:
|
Manufacturer |
Medications |
|---|---|
| Merck |
Elocom |
| Pfizer | Lyrica |
| Sanofi |
Avapro |
| Sanofi Toujeo | Toujeo Solostar |
| Takeda | Dexilant |
| Takeda STI |
Pantoloc Enteric |
Provider FAQs
At TELUS Health, we are committed to supporting our physicians to enhance patient care, deliver better health outcomes and to give them tools that provide insight into the cost of drugs that they are prescribing.
The EMR integration of Patient Assistance Programs (PAP) is a natural evolution of existing physical card programs and serves to support subsidized access to affordable medication through cost offset programs. This functionality has been embedded into virtually all EMR products.
Q: I’m familiar with existing paper card programs. How is this different?
A: This PAP program operates in the same way except you no longer need to worry about remembering which brands have a patient assistance program or about maintaining a supply of physical cards. The program kicks in after you prescribe a brand for which a cost offset is available. Instead of having to hand a card to your patient, all the required program information is now simply printed directly onto the patient’s prescription.
Q: Are you recommending I prescribe the brand medication? What if I want to prescribe the generic medication?
A: You should prescribe whichever medication you believe is in your patient’s best interest. Once you select the medication you want to prescribe, the EMR checks to see if that drug is eligible for any existing cost offset programs. If the medication is eligible, then the applicable code is printed on the prescription. PAP program details will not appear for generic medications or for other medications that do not have an associated PAP program.
Q: Is the PAP program enabled without my knowledge?
A: No. The PAP option is disabled by default and requires you to actively choose to opt-in if you want to enable it.
Q: Can somebody else enable the service without my knowledge?
A: No. The PAP option can only be enabled by the prescriber. Other clinic staff are not able to turn on the function on behalf of the physician. Also, every time you decide to prescribe a drug that has an associated PAP program, you are presented with a clear indication that it has been enabled. At that time, you can choose to disable the option for that particular prescription.
Q: If I change my mind, is there an easy way to opt-out, after I have enabled the service?
A: Yes. You can disable the PAP option in your settings at any time and the service will no longer be displayed. As well, you can opt-out of the service on a prescription-by-prescription basis, if you so choose. You always retain full control of how you choose to use this service.
Q: What information is being shared about my patients and/or about me if I use this service?
A: No patient health information nor any information about you is shared with anybody. We stand by our commitment to always protect patient health information and physician information at all times. We provide only the total count of the number of prescriptions printed with a cost offset code for each province to the company that funds the cost offset program. No data ever leaves the EMR; no patient data and no physician identity information are ever shared.
Q: Do I have to print the optional patient handout?
A: No. You have the choice as to whether you choose to print the patient handout and provide this additional information to your patient. The patient handout contains information that is helpful for the patient and also provides instructions for the pharmacist.
Q: What is a certificate number?
A: This is a payment code allowing your patient to access a brand name medication at the same cost as the equivalent generic medication, as the brand manufacturer covers the cost difference. Pharmacists enter this number into their system and, similar to a health insurance plan, it allows the patient to receive the medication at the lower cost.
Q: I don’t see the PAP indicator for a drug I know has a PAP. Why is that?
A. Each manufacturer decides which drugs will have a cost offset program, and not all manufacturers have elected to have those programs available electronically.
Q: Will I incur a cost to participate in this program?
A: Neither you nor your patients will incur any costs to participate in this program. The pharmaceutical manufacturer will cover all program costs.
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