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Student Profile: Medi Amiri

Student pharmacists involved in Partners in D have the satisfaction of helping seniors get the most out of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and the knowledge that when they graduate, they will be better able to help their patients. A few students, in fact, are already putting their Part D expertise to use in part-time jobs while they are still in pharmacy school. Medi Amiri is one of them.

"A lot of the staff members at the pharmacy where I work part-time don't fully understand how Medicare Part D works," says Medi. "When they have questions, they come looking for me."

Medi credits Partners in D with making him knowledgeable about Part D. In turn, he helps his co-workers ensure that their patients understand their options and have access to the drugs they need without paying more than necessary.

"The main reason I got involved with Partners in D is that I am very interested in helping elderly patients. I have a lot of family members who are elderly, including some who are enrolled in Medicare Part D, so I can apply what I know to my own family."

Wanting to help his relatives isn't his only family connection to the profession.

"We have a few pharmacists in my family. I was always fascinated by how a little pill can do a lot of things," he says.

Medi grew up in Iran and immigrated to the United States after he finished high school in 1999.

"At first, I attended community college. I always liked chemistry so I transferred to UC Irvine, where they have a great program," he says.

After graduating, he enrolled in pharmacy school at Western University of Health Sciences in 2007 and has held internships in a retail pharmacy and in an inpatient hospital setting.

Medi lives in Laguna Hills, which has a large elderly population that needs assistance with Part D.

"I could really sympathize with the patients when I began working with Partners in D because I found it very difficult to understand Part D and navigate the Medicare Web site. After my training and experience working with seniors out in the field, I have a very good understanding of the donut hole and how to pick a plan. By speaking with so many patients, I also have a much better understanding of what it's like to be a low income senior."

Medi has found that many of the people he counsels at Partners in D outreach events don't understand the letters they receive from Medicare. Often they don't know that they might be eligible for a low-income subsidy from Medicare, or simply a lower-cost plan.

"We had a Hispanic patient in Pomona who came in with her daughter translating. She was paying $3000 annually under her plan. She chose that plan because her close friend and her senior center recommended it. Of course, she was taking completely different medications from her friend. We were able to find her a plan that would bring her costs down to $1200."

"She didn't believe that it was true. She thought maybe we were being paid by the insurance company whose plan we recommended."

Medi's work with Partners in D has convinced him that many seniors need advocates. Armed with knowledge and motivated to help, he is part of new generation of California student pharmacists who are moving into the workforce ready to help Medicare Part D recipients get affordable access to the drugs they need.