ASPC Town Hall

2018 Solutions to the PCSK9i Access Barriers

Town Halls and The ASPC Mobile App

As new therapeutic options for the treatment of disease become available, it has become the practice for treatment protocols to arise, based on FDA indications for medications. Societal statements are often created for consideration. Insurance providers play the dominant role however, often restricting drug access through Utilization Management (UM) practices including step therapy (‘fail first’) and onerous Prior Authorizations (PA) and other strategies. In the case of Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) and clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular
disease (ASCVD), vast numbers of patients have been denied by payers for the majority of prescriptions written for PCSK9 inhibitors. This barrier to access for PCSK9i has impacted the very patients who would most benefit from this powerful therapeutic option.

In 2016, the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) sought to address this patient barrier to access by bringing together various stakeholder organizations for two Town Hall events entitled “Unraveling a Therapeutic Conundrum: Barriers to Access PCSK9 Inhibitors.” The ASPC and other stakeholder groups— National Lipid Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Cardiology, and FH Foundation — identified access issues and recommended pragmatic solutions. From the 2016 series, the ASPC produced a publication, endorsed by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, to summarize the identified access issues and recommend solutions entitled “PCSK9 Inhibitor Access Barriers: Issues and Recommendations: Improving the Access Process for Patients, Clinicians, and Payers.”

In 2017 the ASPC presented the findings from the publication at various national conferences across the country, hoping to eliminate patient barriers to accessing PCSK9 inhibitors. The publication also includes a single page Prior Authorization form and Appeals letter to assist healthcare professionals in streamlining access for their patients.

Now, in 2018, the ASPC will unveil its Mobile Application that contains vital and easy-to-access information, tools and best practices so clinicians and patients can gain access to these novel therapies.
Read our paper on the latest findings and solutions to accessing PCSK9 inhibitors here: bit.ly/2nV8BFi

Join us as we discuss this publication that summarizes barriers to access PCSK9 inhibitors, and learn about new tools and resources to overcome this hurdle in accessibility. Read our paper on the latest findings and solutions to accessing PCSK9 inhibitors by clicking here.

This non-CME breakfast symposium is being held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, FL from 6:00 – 7:45 am.

This event is not part of ACC18, as planned by its Program Committee, and does not qualify for continuing medical education (CME), continuing nursing education(CNE) or continuing educations (CE) credit.

Questions? Contact Stacy Manthos at (904) 217-7407 or smanthos@aspconline.org