MEDICARE D TIP SHEETS

We are now in the third month of implementation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. While many organizations continue to educate Medicare beneficiaries about the enrollment process and various Part D plan options, the next challenge is to help patients actually access the medications that they need from their new plan. I have heard from many people across the Partners system what a time-consuming, confusing, and frustrating process this often is. The Medicare Rights Center, a national advocacy organization based in New York, has recently produced new resources to help professionals and their patients in this effort.

Please see attachments:

• Flier for consumers on how to get the best coverage from their part D plan
• Flier for physicians, explaining tools available to them and how to best help their patients get their drugs covered under part D
• Tips for using the Medicare Drug Plan Finder
• Letter template for physicians to use as a guide when requesting an exception to a plan's formulary

- From “New Part D Resources from the Medicare Rights Center”, e-mail, from Kathleen E. Kehoe, MPH, PHS Community Benefits, 3/1/06.

03/06