About the Nonprofit
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Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), founded in 1996, is the nation’s leading direct patient services organization whose mission is to safeguard patients with chronic, life-threatening and debilitating diseases through effective mediation of issues related to access to care and preservation of financial stability. Since its inception, PAF has provided direct, sustained patient assistance to more than 1.8 million patients and touched many more through its website and outreach events.
In 2022, PAF’s staff served 187,359 patients across all programs. PAF’s case management division received 18,838 patient cases and provided assistance with 23,163 unique issues. Professional case managers made 427,333 contacts to the various stakeholders necessary to bring resolution to the patient’s), with an average of 23 contacts per patient (an increase of 48% over 2021, indicating the increasing complexity of approaches required to address needs in the current environment). PAF also provided education and resources to millions of additional patients who reached out to PAF via the website and/or email.
PAF serves patients of all incomes, but data has shown that patients diagnosed with chronic, debilitating, or life- threatening diseases often accrue financially overwhelming medical debt as a consequence of, or directly related to, their illness; 44% of those patients served by PAF’s case management division in 2022 reported an income of less than $24,000, and nearly 13% were uninsured. In addition to medical debt and other obstacles to care, patients and caregivers call PAF for help with inability to afford transportation to care, rent/mortgage, and utilities. PAF offers several distinct programs targeting specific populations with an emphasis on the underserved.
PAF’s commitment to patient services is reflected by sound fiscal practices. PAF has annually earned Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating for 11 years, with a 100 out of 100 on Charity Navigator’s ratings for Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, and Leadership & Adaptability. In addition, PAF also holds the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency; the Chronicle of Philanthropy listed PAF amongst America’s top 100 charities (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021); Insider Magazine listed PAF as one of the “Top 50 Charities” (2018); and PAF was named a Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
