我們的任務

病人權益基金會 (PAF) is a national 501 (C)(3) non-profit organization which provides case management services and financial aid to Americans with chronic, 危及生命或使人衰弱的疾病.

我們的歷史

南希達文波特 - 恩尼斯, Founder of Patient Advocate Foundation became involved in legislative reform on behalf of cancer patients while a dear friend of hers, Cheryl Grimmel, was battling both breast cancer and her insurance company. As Cheryl valiantly fought her fight, Nancy volunteered with the Virginia Task Force for Insurance Reform - sharing the previously underrepresented patient’s perspective and fought to reform insurance coverage for cancer patients. Victory for the task force came with the passage of Virginia House Bill 240 sponsored by Delegate Mary T. Christian in 1994.

Cheryl lost her battle with breast cancer in December 1994, and on the night of her funeral, as the rest of the world was ringing in the New Year, Nancy and Jack Ennis wrote business plans for two complementary nonprofit organizations geared towards solving the issues faced by patients like their friend Cheryl. 國家病人權益基金會 (NPAF) and Patient Advocate Foundation were born in concept that night and became a reality shortly thereafter.

Cheryl's strength in the face of her battle serves as an inspiration to those at Patient Advocate Foundation as they work and interact with patients in need.

Our case managers advocate and mediate on behalf of patients to provide avenues of access for therapies, therapeutic agents and devices deemed medically efficacious by the medical and scientific communities while working to find sources of reimbursement to pay for care.

In the summer of 2013, after founding and serving as CEO for both PAF and NPAF for more than 17 年份, Nancy Davenport-Ennis stepped away from the day-to-day management of both organizations, remaining as Chair Emerita. In July 2013, Alan Balch Ph.D. was named Chief Executive Officer, and is responsible for the operation and leadership of both organizations.

今天, both NPAF and PAF are national leaders on the forefront of important issues within patient-focused healthcare and serve as the voice of patients in need. At the helm are an Executive Board, 科學顧問委員會, and Honorary Board - all made possible by support from our Partners in Progress and generous community donors.

Celebrating our 20th year in 2016

In PAF's first year of operation working from a small 10 ft. by 10 ft. office, Founder Nancy Davenport-Ennis and a part-time, volunteer staff of two provided case management assistance to 157 patients faced with barriers accessing their prescribed care.  Fast-forward to 2017, and PAF helped a cumulative total of more than 1 million patients located throughout all 50 states with support provided by a staff of nearly 200 professionals. Consistent throughout its 20-year history, the mission of PAF is to help one patient at a time by providing highly skilled case management service or financial aid to resolve problems related to their ability to access care and overcome financial hurdles during the most vulnerable times of illness. NPAF was created as a sister organization to expand the scale of PAF's impact to millions by advocating for solutions to common patient problems surrounding healthcare access and affordability. Over its long history, NPAF influenced major health policy decisions, helping to establish a ban on lifetime benefit limits and pre-existing condition exclusions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and has been heavily engaged in trying to pass the Medical Debt Relief Act. 今天, CEO Alan Balch leads the effort to celebrate PAF and NPAF’s twenty years of service by documenting important milestones in our history while focusing on the key initiatives that will define the next twenty years of the organizations.

PAF Milestones

2016

April 2016 marks 20 years of serving patients
 
Hosts 15th Annual Promise of Hope Affair event & 16th annual Patient Congress Event
 
Completed nearly 81,000 patient cases totaling over 820,000 closed cases since inception PAF’s annual budget exceeds $75 million

 

2014

PAF’s Co-Pay Relief celebrates 10 years of operations, having assisted over 126,000 耐心, allocating over $200 million in assistance

 

2013

Awarded first Case in Point Platinum Awards for Case Management
 
創辦人, Nancy Davenport-Ennis celebrates her retirement after more than 17 years of dedicated service to PAF

 

2010

First year PAF earned Charity Navigator's 4-star "exceptional" rating
 
PAF moves to new, larger headquarters location in Hampton, VA

 

2006

PAF launches first program within its Financial Aid Fund Division PAF launches first program within its MedCare Line Division

 

Milestones

(cont.)

2004

PAF launches the Co-Pay Relief Program

 

2001

PAF holds first annual Promise of Hope fundraising gala event

 

2000

PAF gains national attention for patient services
 
First Patient Congress advocacy event in Washington DC

 

1999

全國金融資源指南, first edition published

 

1998

Relocated to new office space in the Newport News, VA with four full-time employees

 

1997

PAF publishes its first full-length patient-focused publication
 
Launch of public website www.patientadvocate.org

 

1996

Opened in April 1996
 
During our first year, volunteer case managers assisted 157 patients in a 10 x 10-foot warehouse space office
 
By the end of the year, PAF had fundraised just over $100K in organizational revenue to operate