Healthcare Industry Actions to Protect Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic – April 14, 2020

The Healthcare Leadership Council is comprised of leading companies from every sector of American healthcare.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be sharing examples of actions these companies are taking to protect and assist the public and combat the virus’s spread.  If you would like assistance in reaching a representative for any of these companies, please contact Kelly Fernandez at kfernandez@hlc.org. 

• The millions of people who have fully insured coverage through Aetna will not have to pay any co-pays or other forms of cost sharing for inpatient coronavirus treatment in in-network hospitals. The decision by the insurer will save those individuals thousands of dollars.  CVS Health Executive Vice President Karen Lynch said patients should have “simple and affordable” access to COVID-19 treatment.

• Bristol-Myers Squibb has expanded its patient support programs for those who have lost their jobs and health insurance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs give patients free access to the company’s branded medicines and will include immediate access for the newly-unemployed and uninsured and a streamlined enrollment process. 

• The Marshfield Clinic Health System has informed its regional residents that the health system has 1,400 providers now able to provide at-home health services via telehealth appointments. The director of Virtual Health for Marshfield said the clinic has made major advances in telehealth in a short period of time to keep patients safe from COVID-19 exposure.  

• Merck has announced that its Merck for Mothers program, an initiative to help end preventable maternal deaths, will be providing $3 million to help health systems that are meeting the needs of pregnant women before, during and after delivery while tackling COVID-19. 

• NorthShore University Health System is doing its own coronavirus testing, both for its own patients as well as for those in other hospitals in the Chicago area. NorthShore is doing about a fourth of the COVID-19 testing taking place in Illinois and relieving much of the burden felt by the state’s public health labs.  The system has also designated one of its hospitals as a COVID-only facility to accommodate larger volumes of sick patients.

• Global pharmaceutical manufacturer UCB has announced a multi-pronged approach to taking on the COVID-19 pandemic including working to identify the crystal structures of coronavirus proteins, providing supplies of personal protective equipment to healthcare providers and researchers, and expanding its Patient Assistance Program to ensure that those whose financial situations have been affected by COVID-19 will have uninterrupted access to UCB-produced medicines at no cost.