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How can providers help hard-pressed patients?
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Propose free clinics.
The free clinic I am a part of started in 2001 and the number of patients has increased tremendously, which has a lot to do with the economy. Many of our patients are without insurance and without jobs.
We started out with having clinic one night per week and then expanded to two times per week with a refill clinic on Wednesday mornings.
In the beginning, we started taking the first 50 people who arrived, but after awhile we didn’t think this was right because people were standing outside in the heat and the rain all day. Then, we went with the appointment system, but quickly realized we needed to expand our hours of service. Still, we have a waiting list and the phone rings for hours because we cannot take any more patients.
Even though we may have four to five physicians and volunteer students helping out on any given night, we always have to turn people away. Then when gas prices increased, patients were unable to get to the clinic because they couldn’t find a ride or pay for gas. So, even though the service was provided for free they were still unable to make it; there are many barriers and issues.
Patients should talk with their existing provider or unemployment office for information on resources in the community providing free or reduced cost health care.
John T. Johnson, PharmD, is Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Presbyterian College, S.C.
Utilize industry.
Earlier in 2009, patient volume in primary and specialty care went down 10% to 20% across the board in Michigan. At the same time, traffic at our free clinics has picked up tremendously for patients without health insurance, and remains high.
Industry has provided glucose monitors to distribute to patients with diabetes, but the cost of the test strips is still a burden for many. Support and training for patients on insulin pumps has also been a help.
The pharmaceutical companies have been very helpful and have bent over backwards to help out in this economy, with samples when possible and payment assistance programs offered by many of them. As medical professionals, we need to let other professionals and patients know this. It is irritating to see these companies get hammered all the time.
In our practice things have picked up again; however, I cannot speak for other practices. Michigan has the worst unemployment rates right now and I do not know if things are over just yet for us or our patients.
Michael Kleerekoper, MD, is Director of the Endocrinology Fellowship Program at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich.