Living with Crohn’s Disease isn’t easy.
Kristen has been discovering this for herself lately. For about a year, she’s been having some crippling symptoms, like severe stomach pains and cramps. She works as a restaurant chef at a local bistro near her home, and even tasting food was difficult, as it would often cause her symptoms to flare up. She was finding it more and more challenging to do the job she loves, and knew something needed to change.
She felt almost relieved when her diagnosis came in, just to finally know what was causing her so much pain and discomfort.
To help manage her Crohn’s Disease symptoms, Kristen was prescribed a specialty injectable medication. Her doctor gave her specific instructions on how to take it properly, and how often.
Once she received her medication, she was able to administer her first injection without any problem. But after a week had passed, she reviewed her instructions again to see how to handle future injections—and got confused. She set them aside, and decided she’d look at them in the morning.
Later that day as she was helping her daughter with homework, Kristen’s phone rang. She has her health care benefits through Meritain Health®, and along with it, Meritain Health Pharmacy Solutions and the CARE Program for her prescriptions. On the phone was her assigned CARE specialist, just checking in to see how things were going.
Kristen was overcome with relief. She was so happy to receive the call.
The CARE specialist explained one reason for his call was to get Kristen set up on a copay assistance plan from the drug manufacturer, since her medication is considered a high-cost prescription. This would help keep her costs down.
But he also wanted to see how her injections were going, and be sure she was comfortable with how to administer them. Kristen admitted she was actually a little mixed up about that. She thought her doctor had explained she should have injections every other week following the initial one, but now she was feeling overwhelmed and not too sure. Her CARE specialist took the time to go over the detailed instructions again, and actually prevented her from using one additional dose by accident, saving her $125.
As an extra step, he also put her in touch with a CARE clinical pharmacist who could give Kristen tips for taking her medication, what side effects to watch out for, and how her dosing strategy could be adjusted.
Kristen is beyond thankful for her Meritain Health team and feels so lucky they were watching out for her. She now has a thorough understanding of all the ins and outs of her treatment plan. She’s feeling healthier and her symptoms, as well as her costs, are under control.
With the added support she received, she’s feeling confident and comfortable to face her Crohn’s Disease head on. And she’s looking forward to getting back to the restaurant, and to life as usual.
This story is based on an actual member experience. Names and information have been changed to protect the member’s privacy.
This communication is intended for informational, promotional purposes only. The reference to previous outcomes made as a part of this communication does not guarantee success or similar outcomes in any new or future cases, as the result of each case depends upon many factors, including but not limited to the facts of each case. Any actual savings will vary based upon numerous factors, and neither Meritain Health nor its affiliates guarantees any level of savings.
