Colorectal Cancer Patients Offered New Resource To Help Navigate Treatment Process

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Article Date: 01 Dec 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), with support from Amgen (Nasdaq:AMGN), is pleased to announce the launch of the Colorectal CareLine (CCL). The national toll free telephone hotline is designed to offer assistance to all colorectal cancer patients and healthcare providers seeking educational resources, direct assistance with access to care issues and/or financial aid for select patient needs, including lodging, transportation, childcare and other expenses associated with out-of-town treatment. The hotline can be accessed at 1-866-657-8634 or patients may visit http://www.colorectalcareline.org.

Staffed by a dedicated team of multilingual clinical case managers with nursing and social work experience, the Colorectal CareLine offers personal case management services, including the dissemination of disease information, direction on how to obtain financial assistance, availability of clinical trials, and guidance in managing the reimbursement process.

"Navigating the reimbursement system in order to obtain prescribed care and accessing available financial and educational resources following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer can be confusing and overwhelming for patients," said Beth Darnley, chief program officer at the Patient Advocate Foundation. "Options such as the Colorectal CareLine offer a centralized resource for information and direct support to help patients and their healthcare providers manage this serious disease."

The Colorectal CareLine is the latest addition to PAF's portfolio of patient services. The Foundation's existing programs include direct case management services, the National Hispanic/Latino, African American and Senior Outreach initiatives, Hematologic Cancer Education Program and the national Livestrong SurvivorCare partnership.

"Amgen is proud to support PAF's Colorectal CareLine," said Cynthia Schwalm, vice president and general manager, oncology at Amgen. "The toll free number will help ensure that colorectal cancer patients have the information and tools they need to get through their treatment."

In an effort to spread the word about the Colorectal CareLine to the community, PAF will partner with several advocacy and patient groups to ensure the patients that need these services learn about them. The Colorectal CareLine is funded by a donation from Amgen.

Patient Advocate Foundation

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

More information may be obtained at http://www.patientadvocate.org or by calling (800) 532-5274.

About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women--and the second leading cause of cancer death - in the United States (after lung cancer). The American Cancer Society estimates that about 146,940 new cases of colon cancer and 41,930 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2006. It has been estimated that 56,370 people will die from colorectal cancer in 2006. That means that one person in the United States dies of colorectal cancer every 9.3 minutes.

About Amgen

Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a broad and deep pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit http://www.amgen.com.

Amgen
http://www.amgen.com

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