Equitable patient access to scalp cooling is currently limited in the United States. Too often, patients who wish to scalp cool are faced with a difficult decision that shouldn’t need to be made; retaining their identity and privacy or face inevitable hair loss. Out of context, this would seem like an easy decision, but each choice bears a heavy cost.
Choosing not to scalp cool can lead to stress, anxiety, and social withdrawal. By opting to scalp cool, uninsured or underinsured patients could find themselves trading emotional & psychological stress for financial hardship. No one should have to choose between their wellbeing and financial security.
Paxman are working hard to ensure that every patient wishing to scalp cool should not have to make such a trade-off.
Firstly, we are working to transition all existing facilities in the US using the Paxman system to our Insurance-Based Billing Model (IBBM). The model allows healthcare practitioners to directly bill the patient’s insurer via CPT codes.
After many years of hard work and campaigning, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced CPT I codes for mechanical scalp cooling. CPT I codes are for procedures that have proven effective and are widely used in medical practice. In addition to a simplified billing process, it means that insurers are more inclined to offer coverage.
To ensure the most equitable access possible, Paxman has a best-in-class Patient Assistance Program (PAP) to support patients that are uninsured or under-insured and can’t afford to scalp cool. If patients qualify for the PAP, they will receive free treatment, a free Cap Kit, relief from the financial strain that often accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
We are not alone in our mission to expand equitable access to cancer treatment (and scalp cooling). There are many organisations that work tirelessly to ensure that patients do not face financial and emotional hardship, simply by trying to save or extend their lives, ease their pain, or preserve their hair.
Roberta Lombardi, Founder and President of the charity Infinite Strength, felt fortunate enough to be able to afford all of her treatments, including those not covered by insurance. However, it was her experience of being surrounded by those in the infusion room, questioning whether they could even afford to continue treatment, that encouraged her to take action.
Roberta remembers people struggling to remain working through treatment, fearful that they would be evicted or lose their jobs. She recalls single mothers with a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis wondering whether to continue treatment and prolong their life or end it and spare their families from further financial devastation.
Roberta believes no one should have to make these choices and founded Infinite Strength to help people just like those she sat next to in the infusion room, separated only by a curtain.
Paxman also believes that this is a choice that no one should have to face and is proud to be an Infinite Strength partner with regular donations to support the charity. Their work means that underserved/underrepresented single mothers living with metastatic breast cancer are supported financially for up to six months.
Infinite Strength served 155 mothers with metastatic breast cancer across the United States in 2024, 68% of which were unemployed. We were also delighted to see the charity raised $848,117.36, with 71% from corporate donations such as Paxman’s. In addition to providing Basic Human Needs Grants on a monthly basis, Infinite Strength also provides emotional support for families.
A cancer diagnosis in never a choice, but financial hardship should not be a consequence. Cancer is indiscriminate, ignorant of person’s ability to afford treatment. The underrepresented and underinsured deserve the same opportunity to survive and thrive thereafter.
Through our IBBM, the Paxman PAP and through support from fantastic charities like Infinite Strength, we can create a world where no one has to endure a life of financial difficulty simply because cancer chose them.
