Yesterday, I’m very happy to report that the management committee of eDocAmerica, a company that I founded 20 years ago through the UAMS Bioventures program (eDocAmerica.com), approved creation of a patient assistance grant program.

The need for this has become apparent as some of the patients I have been caring for at Dr. Smith Direct Care have repeatedly had problems with monthly payments being rejected for a variety of reasons. When examined more closely, the patients often live from paycheck to paycheck, barely having enough to get by and purchase essential items. So, sometimes, they have no choice but to forego the monthly fees to cover other essential expense items such as food, transportation, and utility bills.

So, for these patients, eDoc has approved a modest patient assistance grant that will allow support for needy patients who are unable to afford their monthly fees. This support will be available for a limited number of patients, within the parameters of the program, depending on the availability of funds.

I’ll review the patient list to identify patients who I know need this support, but if you feel you may be in this category, please let me know.

Thanks to the leadership of eDocAmerica for their charitable spirit in creating this program.