Press Release – December 15, 2015 – Strong Nonprofit Relationship Benefits Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Manhattan Beach, CA – (December 15, 2015) — The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) proudly announce the newly developed Know Your Tumor CareLine, a case management assistance program that helps pancreatic cancer patients navigate the process of accessing innovative therapies and clinical trials that match their molecular profile.

Know Your Tumor^SM, created by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, is a personalized medicine service that provides eligible pancreatic cancer patients and their oncologists with information about the biology of their specific tumor. This information can be used to identify treatments that may be valuable to an individual patient, including clinical trials.

“As our organization works to double pancreatic cancer survival by 2020, it is important that patients enrolling in Know Your Tumor have access to a Patient Advocate Foundation expert who will provide direct assistance with insurance and access issues,” said Julie Fleshman, President and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Patients eligible for the Know Your Tumor CareLine will be identified by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network through the Know Your Tumor program, then connected with a Patient Advocate Foundation expert if the patient faces obstacles to accessing treatment identified through the Know Your Tumor service.

“The Know Your Tumor program already provides patients with unprecedented access to personalized tumor data that can be extremely powerful in a clinical sense for the medical team treating their cancer,” said Alan Balch, PhD, CEO of the Patient Advocate Foundation. “However, getting the results of this analysis is only the first step and we know that sometimes patients run into barriers that prevent full access to the needed treatment paths. This Partnership ensures that pancreatic cancer patients have an ally ready in their corner to resolve any challenges they face.”

Patient Advocate Foundation will be working directly with referrals from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to:

• Assist patients with navigating through their insurance plan’s reimbursement system related to pancreatic cancer treatment.
• Explore patient’s employment protections such as Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including available workplace benefits like Short-Term and Long-Term Disability.
• Provide direct assistance to patients with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Disability Income (SSDI) program enrollment.
• Provide referrals to medication copayment assistance programs and available financial assistance.
• Provide appeals assistance to patients when personalized analysis suggests off-label therapy might be beneficial.
• Provide navigation assistance to patients who face barriers accessing clinical trials that are indicated as potentially beneficial based on personalized tumor analysis.
• The Know Your Tumor CareLine will be staffed by a team of highly skilled professional case managers with detailed knowledge of denial and reimbursement related issues and clinical access hurdles. All patients served by the CareLine will have been enrolled in the Know Your Tumor service and referred to the Patient Advocate Foundation from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Know Your Tumor^SM is a registered trademark of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Inc.  Patient Advocate Foundation is using the name with permission from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

To learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, visit pancan.org. Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter, Instagram or on Facebook.

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About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase survival for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative — The Vision of Progress: Double Pancreatic Cancer Survival by 2020. To continue to accelerate progress, a goal to raise $200 million by 2020 is also in place. Together, we can Wage Hope and rewrite the future of pancreatic cancer.

About the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
Established in 1996, Patient Advocate Foundation assists patients who have been diagnosed with serious illness overcome healthcare access barriers. PAF provides in-depth assistance through personalized case management, financial support, and connection to critical community resources.  PAF serves uninsured and insured patients all across the country to help overcome and resolve insurance-related and financial obstacles that impact care.  PAF resolved 88,962 patient cases in 2014 company-wide.  For more information about Patient Advocate Foundation and their mission to improve health access to all patients, visit patientadvocate.org or call 1 (800) 532-5274.

MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY CONTACT:

Cara Martinez
Senior Manager, Public Relations
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Direct: 310-706-3357
Email: cmartinez@pancan.org

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES, PLEASE CALL THE PANCREATIC CANCER ACTION NETWORK AT 877-272-6226 OR EMAIL INFO@PANCAN.ORG.