The Will-Grundy Medical Clinic has been helping needy patients for nearly 20 years. One of the great services they offer is free prescription assistance by using Patient Assistance Programs.

Their ‘indigent patient assistance program’ is run entirely by 7 volunteers - some of them retired health care workers. The volunteers review patient charts, write renewal prescriptions, and ready forms for signatures and mailing.

Clinics like Will-Grundy in Chicago are run on love and compassion. Their tireless free medication efforts brought in over $641,000 in free prescription assistance last year for their patients.

We have found that many local free clinics like Will-Grundy do a tremendous amount of manual paperwork that require countless man hours to fill out, check, and then mail and file copies. These clinics may be able to boost productivity and lower costs by using Patient Assistance Program software.

Here is how the medication delivery process is handled:

If you walk down to the nurses’ station, you’ll find Dave seated at a long table with the week’s refill list and the bagged medications. He is usually accompanied by an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients.

After verifying that the patient and medication go together, he will do a final check ensuring that the medication in the bag compares to the medication listed. He concludes with a handshake and a “thank you.”

Well done, Will-Grundy clinic. Keep up the great work that you do. We love seeing clinics actively using the help available from Patient Assistance Programs to get free medications for indigent and uninsured patients.

Now that you have applied for free prescription medication and been accepted by the drug manufacturer, you are likely anxious to get it to your home and feel the relief from that burden!

While it would be great if there were one standard answer, the reality is that just as the guidelines, policies and suggestions are entirely different across many manufacturers, so are the wait times to receive your medication. Fortunately, the drug companies understand that you are in a situation of hardship and they work diligently to get your medication to you.

Typical wait time time to receive free medication are anywhere from 2 weeks all the way up to 6+ weeks. The best thing to do is to call each manufacturer and ask them their standard policy. This way you can accurately plan any possible lapses in coverage that you may experience.

While you are in your waiting period, it’s okay to call each of the drug companies to ask them the status of your free medication and when you might expect it.  Don’t be afraid to follow up on this - just because they are providing you a great service doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t push for the best care possible.  You deserve to get your free medicine quickly and easily.