The Hidden Cost of Medication Affordability: 5 Takeaways from Our Becker's Webinar
See how leading health systems are turning medication affordability into millions in savings, and what it could mean for yours.
1. Behind every affordability statistic is a patient in fear
"Whenever you see a patient, this looks like fear," Ashley told us. "They don't know what to do. They don't know where to turn. There's a flood of information coming to cancer patients during their treatment."
Edwina sees the same thing at SSM Health: patients calling daily to say they can't afford to come to their infusion visits. Without proactive financial navigation, those patients skip appointments or abandon treatment entirely. Both leaders were clear that the patient is the North Star of every financial clearance effort. As Edwina put it: "We'll work with a patient, we'll help them apply for financial assistance, whatever it takes, but they still will get treated. That is our main focus."
$30M+
in cost avoidance last fiscal year
"We want to make sure that we know all of the opportunities that we explore and run down every route that we can to get that patient treatment."
— Ashley Barrett, Moffitt Cancer Center
$17M+
in savings delivered for the people they treated in 2025
"You get invested in seeing a patient come in, get treatment, get better, and you actually have an emotional response when a patient stops treatment."
— Edwina Williams, SSM Health
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