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Advocacy Groups Are a Valuable Resource in the Fight Against Cancer — Interview with Missy Miller of The Mesothelioma Center

June 2019 Vol 5 No 3
Missy Miller
Medical Outreach Director
The Mesothelioma Center; Contributing author to Asbestos.com
This edition of Interview with the Advocates was sponsored by The Mesothelioma Center.

When a cancer diagnosis is made, many emotions immediately follow. Fear, stress, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of urgency to begin whatever course of treatment is prescribed. Navigating the complicated world of oncology can often be overwhelming for patients. This is the reason the Medical Outreach Department at The Mesothelioma Center was created—to assist those who are confronted with a diagnosis of mesothelioma to obtain the best care.

The Medical Outreach Department at The Mesothelioma Center consists of the Director, Missy Miller, and the Medical Outreach Liaison, Jose Ortiz. They tour the nation’s best hospitals and cancer centers to build relationships and learn about the latest treatment advances from mesothelioma specialists and researchers. Together, they work with patients, nursing staff, coordinators, social workers, therapists, patient navigators, and chaplains to ensure patients take full advantage of available resources. Their goal? To connect patients with the right healthcare professionals to make a positive impact in the mesothelioma community.

Recently, CONQUER: the patient voice met with the Medical Outreach Director, Missy Miller, to talk about her work, patient success stories, and the center’s ability to enhance the patient experience.

CONQUER: Thank you for meeting with us, Ms. Miller. Can you take a minute to describe your professional role at The Mesothelioma Center, as well as the types of issues that you and your team are accustomed to addressing for patients?

Ms. Miller: My role as the Medical Outreach Director is to ensure that our department helps all patients who are diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, specifically mesothelioma and lung cancer. We accomplish this in a variety of ways, which include meeting in person with healthcare professionals, hospitals, and other organizations that may see these patients, to offer our unique education resources and support.

We are accustomed to overcoming the many barriers that patients face in the course of a mesothelioma diagnosis. Barriers to care typically consist of issues such as insurance denials or appeals, as well as access to care, medicine, housing, financial assistance, grants, travel, Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI), and Veterans Administration (VA) assistance.

CONQUER: Can you describe a specific case that demonstrates your ability to remove a barrier to care for a patient?

Ms. Miller: We are fortunate to have built a professional, credible network and source of trust with many healthcare providers that has allowed us to assist countless patients who are diagnosed with this illness. We have encountered many barriers to care, but one that stands out specifically is a young patient who did not have healthcare insurance.

This patient needed treatment, but simply did not have the means to afford treatment on his own. We worked to obtain him SSDI and state-funded Medicaid. Receiving disability insurance allowed the patient to meet his monthly bills, which then allowed him to take time off work. Medicaid provided the insurance needed to seek proper care from a medical facility that specializes in mesothelioma. This story marks a huge success for the patient and highlights our ability to help patients to access the care they need.

Regretfully, in many instances, uninsured people with a mesothelioma diagnosis are told there is nothing that can be done, unless they have the money to pay for their treatment. But patients with mesothelioma and lung cancer that is caused by asbestos typically qualify for SSDI and/or other types of financial assistance. We can help such patients with that application process and then take it a step further to help them get registered for Medicaid or Medicare, so that they would have insurance to help offset some of the treatment-related cost.

CONQUER: Insurance coverage is so important. Can you give another example of your ability to assist patients with insurance issues?

Ms. Miller: Absolutely. We recently assisted a patient whose insurance plan was denying payment for a portable oxygen tank. The insurance would approve a large, stationary oxygen tank, but as you may imagine, that’s not very functional when the patient has to go to the grocery store or leave the house.

The patient navigator called and asked if we had any suggestions or solutions. She gave the patient our direct contact information, and I was able to speak to the patient directly and obtain his healthcare insurance information. Through research, I was able to determine that insurance would approve durable medical equipment, in this case a portable oxygen tank, if we used an approved vendor.

There are times when doctors will write a prescription for a certain device without designating the exact brand. And many times, healthcare insurance requires a specific brand, a durable medical equipment, or a specific vendor. Knowing this information allowed us to resubmit the claim to the insurance and get that cost covered for the patient, and he only had to pay a small deductible.

CONQUER: How do you build your community of patients and physicians, and how you build the content offered on your website?

Ms. Miller: We attend medical conferences around the country, where we meet oncology professionals who treat patients with mesothelioma. Jose and I have built credible and trusting relationships and obtained a deep understanding of key organizations in the mesothelioma healthcare community. Thanks to these relationships, our website consists of content contributed and reviewed by mesothelioma experts. As a trusted online source, patients can find us at www.asbestos.com. We always encourage patients, or anyone looking for help with a mesothelioma diagnosis, to contact us and ask for the Medical Outreach Department, so we can help them with any assistance they need (see Patient Resources box at the end).

CONQUER: How do your services enhance the patient’s experience?

Ms. Miller: Most important, we influence the patient’s experience by assisting patients in accessing a specialist. We also provide assistance with logistics, such as facilitating appointments, dealing with insurance appeals, and connecting patients with other helpful resources.

CONQUER: Does your group follow patients all the way through the care continuum?

Ms. Miller: Yes. Typically, our Medical Outreach Liaison, Jose, and I, follow the patients from the moment we connect with them—ideally at the beginning of their treatment—through the end of treatment and follow-up appointments. Many of the patients become like members of our family. We try to help them throughout their entire cancer experience. Once we have connected with a patient, it is very common for the patient to contact us with any issues that may arise, and we try to help them navigate through it and make it as stress-free as possible.

CONQUER: Can you describe the process of getting a patient to a specialist for a second opinion or a validation of treatment strategy?

Ms. Miller: Yes. It’s important to note that we don’t take patients away from medical institutions. If they are at a specific hospital or facility, we want to reassure patients that we are not attempting to send them to another facility. If they are interested in having a mesothelioma specialist review the records and offer advice on the optimal treatment strategy, we can connect them and streamline the process.

Working directly with patients allows us to discuss realistic goals based on each unique patient individual’s need. We don’t want patients to experience additional stress over traveling somewhere from which they will not benefit. In this way, patients can remain at their local center and still receive the care they would receive from a mesothelioma specialist. The experts we recommend for a second opinion are very familiar with communicating a plan to a patient’s local doctor and team.

We also facilitate phone consults between healthcare professionals to explore all the treatment options that may be available for that patient. These consults are a great way to provide peace of mind to patients.

CONQUER: Financial toxicity is a very relevant issue for patients with cancer. You have extensive experience in addressing these concerns. Can you discuss your team’s expertise related to financial toxicity?

Ms. Miller: Sadly, paying for care is one of the greatest concerns that patients with cancer face. With medical expenses, copays, and patient deductibles rising, it is often very hard for patients and their families to cope with the financial burden they face after diagnosis. Our goal is to address the financial hardship and properly prepare them, by educating patients on what to expect.

We firmly believe that knowledge is power, and that planning is essential. We take great pride in the research we have done to educate ourselves on the available resources to help patients with mesothelioma or lung cancer overcome financial burdens. We have helped many patients understand their SSDI options while they are out of work. We can also provide information about travel grants and trust funds and explain legal options for which they may be eligible.

Overall, we hope to alleviate some of the financial stress patients experience by exploring their eligibility for different funds and financial grants, so they can focus on getting better instead of the financial burden of their care.

CONQUER: How do you support and strengthen thoracic oncology programs across the country?

Ms. Miller: In addition to our work with patients, we hope to add value by partnering with thoracic medical, surgical, and radiation oncology teams. Together, we can offer support and strengthen the care the patient receives. The demands placed on healthcare professionals continue to grow; we hope to alleviate some of their responsibilities by assisting them in removing barriers to care.

We are working on different ways that members of oncology departments can reach out to us and allow us to help their patients, and we hope that this will allow them to achieve and surpass their goals in helping mesothelioma patients.

CONQUER: How can patients contact you?

Ms. Miller: We want to be as easily accessible as possible, and we encourage anybody who wants to reach out to us by e-mailing us directly, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by calling us (800-549-0544). Our Medical Outreach Liaison, Jose Ortiz, and I are happy to help anyone who reaches out, and we encourage and welcome everyone who is considering or will be needing help to make sure they ask to speak with the Medical Outreach Team. They can also go to www.asbestos.com to request any information or resources.

CONQUER: Thank you for your time today and for all you do for patients with mesothelioma.

Patient Resources

The Mesothelioma Center
Tel: 800-549-0544
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.asbestos.com

Missy Miller
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Direct: 407-928-8551

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