Accessing patient assistance programs to meet clients' medication needs.

The high cost of medication is a barrier to patient compliance. Nurse practitioners can access patient assistance programs to assist low-income clients to obtain medications, empowering them to take action to improve their health. At Health Care Access, a primary care clinic serving low-income, uninsured persons, approximately $150,000 worth of medications were obtained through patient assistance programs in 1997, compared to the total clinic budget of $189,000. Processes for obtaining prescription drugs vary between pharmaceutical companies. An understanding of these types of programs provides nurse practitioners access to these resources for their clients.