Partners in D: A brief overview A presentation for PILLS at Berkeley, By UCSF Partners in D coordinators Clarice Kam, Pin Xiang, Roseanne Seok

What is Medicare? Medicare = US government heath insurance plan for people who are:  65 and older  Permanently disabled  End-stage renal failure  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease)

Medicare consists of three coverage subparts: Part A – government coverage of inpatient services (e.g. hospital care) Part B – government coverage of outpatient services, excluding most drugs (e.g. doctor visits) Part D – government-subsidized coverage of outpatient prescription drugs by private prescription drug plans Part C – government-subsidized all-in-one coverage of Part A, B, and often D services by private plans (e.g. HMOs, PPOs, PFFSs, etc.)

History of Medicare Part D Established by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA 2003) Added to Medicare to provide outpatient prescription drug coverage to Medicare recipients  Prior to Part D, no such coverage available under Medicare Benefit began January 1, 2006 Part D is optional – beneficiaries wanting coverage must enroll and choose a prescription drug plan

Medicare Part D(ilemma) Over 50 Part D prescription drug plans in California alone Each plan offers varying coverage of different drugs, with different payment schemes Finding best plan is a complex process that requires knowledge of patient’s drug regimen, income level, and current coverage Financial assistance available to neediest, but up to beneficiary to find in many cases Coverage gaps, enrollment penalties, and other formidable hurdles too complex to get into!

So how does a Medicare beneficiary choose!?

Partners in D Statewide initiative started by UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty Supported by a $3.7 million grant from the Amgen Foundation over 3.5 years Includes 7 schools of pharmacy in California  UCSF, UCSD, USC, UOP, Touro, Loma Linda, and Western Specialized Part D training for student pharmacists One-on-one counseling to help underserved Medicare patients get the most out of their prescription drug benefit Peer-to-peer education of future prescribers

Get involved with Partners in D We are currently looking for translators in: Spanish Russian Cantonese Mandarin Other languages possible as well

Requirements include: Attend Health Interpreter training at UCSF on Oct 26, pm (must be done before volunteering with us at outreaches) Three hours of volunteering at a Partners in D outreach  Most outreaches occur during October & November (Dates: Oct 13, Oct 22, Oct 27, Nov 5, Nov 10 or 11, Nov 26, Dec 5)  Most outreaches are located in SF, but two are in Berkeley (Oct 27 & Nov 10/11)

Volunteers get the chance to: Learn more about Medicare Part D Experience one-on-one interaction with patients in an intimate setting Observe student pharmacists / pharmacists in action outside a traditional pharmacy Work closely with UCSF faculty members Serve the community!

Thank You! Please provide us your name & contact on the sign-up form. Questions:

A peek into Partners in D … v=bjwd0-FFk-A v=bjwd0-FFk-A