How 15 Seconds Can Change the Life of a Person with PAH

All it takes is the answer to two simple questions to help save the life of person with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

This rare, progressive disease causes a constriction of the arteries in the lungs, which, in turn, causes the heart to have to work harder to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body. The disease can progress quickly and those living with PAH require specialized care. Yet, not all PAH patients receive that type of care. Many PAH patients start on oral medication with a prescription that can be filled at a pharmacy for up to 12 months.

Many physicians prescribing orals are non-specialists and may not fully understand the disease. Without specialized care, patients may not be aware their condition is advancing, requiring additional care and causing severe, life-threatening symptoms if left untreated. That’s why Accredo’s evidence-based clinical assessment & risk evaluation (CARE) program, implemented more than 10 years ago, has become a gold standard in PAH patient screening.

Each month, when a specialist team member from our PAH Therapeutic Resource Center® contacts a patient to confirm prescription refill, we ask two simple questions that have been validated to determine signs of heart failure. The questions take just 15 seconds for the patient to answer. A failed screening results in the patient being triaged to a PAH specialist nurse for further assessment and intervention. Prescribers are engaged when the assessment reveals barriers to therapy or progression of the disease in the face of current therapy.

Our CARE program, as well as other clinical programs like it, is saving lives, and it’s just one of the ways our Accredo team is making a difference for those living with PAH, including Tina.