ASHP Policy Positions on Patient Assistance Programs (PAP).

• Pharmacy Benefits for the Uninsured (0101)
  Source: Council on Administrative Affairs To support the principle that all patients have the right to receive care from pharmacists; further, To declare that health system pharmacists should play a leadership role in ensuring access to pharmacists’ service for indigent or low-income patients who lack insurance coverage and for patients who are underinsured; further, To advocate better collaboration among health systems, community health centers, state and county health departments, and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in identifying and addressing the needs of indigent and low-income patients who lack insurance coverage and of patients who are underinsured. This policy was reviewed in 2005 by the Council on Administrative Affairs and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.

• Standardization, Automation, and Expansion of Manufacturer-Sponsored Patient-Assistance Programs (0404)
  Source: Council on Administrative Affairs To advocate standardization of application criteria, processes, and forms for manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs (PAP); further, To advocate the automation of PAP application processes through computerized programs, including Webbased models; further, To advocate expansion of PAPs to include high-cost drugs used in inpatient settings.

• Medication Management for Patient Assistance Programs (0603) Source: Council on Administrative Affairs To support the principle that medications provided through manufacturer patient assistance programs should be stored, packaged, labeled, dispensed, and recorded using systems that ensure the same level of safety as prescription-based programs that incorporate a pharmacist-patient relationship.

• Manufacturer-Sponsored Patient-Assistance Programs (9703)
  Source: Council on Legal and Public Affairs To encourage pharmaceutical manufacturers to (1) extend their patient assistance programs to serve the needs of both uninsured and underinsured patients, (2) enhance access to and availability of such programs, and (3) incorporate the elements of pharmaceutical care into these programs. This policy was reviewed in 2001 by the Council on Legal and Public Affairs and by the Board of Directors and was found to still be appropriate.