340B Insight

340B professionals are not the only hospital staff who need to know about 340B. That is why it is important that 340B professionals educate their colleagues about the program and what it means for clinical care and patient care operations. For our final episode of the year, 340B professional Ryan Atherton joins us to share the strategies he has deployed to help his colleagues better understand 340...

The recent election results have implications for the future of U.S. health policy and the 340B program. Health policy experts Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join us this week to discuss how the new Congress will affect 340B and how individuals can best engage in educating and advocating for the program. Debbie and Rodney are vice presidents at McDermott + Consulting and previously were congres...

Nov. 17 is National Rural Health Day, which is an opportunity to celebrate the importance of rural hospitals to patients living in remote communities. We are joined by Karen McCombs, 340B program manager for Wills Memorial Hospital in Georgia. Karen shares her tips for managing her critical access hospital’s 340B program in a compliant and efficient manner to support patient care initiatives. Befo...

On Nov. 4, 1992, President George H.W. Bush signed the 340B drug pricing program into law.  To celebrate 30 years of 340B, we speak on today’s episode with former Congressman Henry Waxman, who was one of the principal architects of the 340B program. Congressman Waxman served in Congress for 40 years from 1975-2015. During part of that time, he chaired the influential U.S. House Energy & Commer...

When Hennepin Medical Center saw that some of their patients were frequently visiting the emergency department for all their health care needs, they recognized how vital it was to find a better way to care for them. Our guest this week is Christene Jolowsky, senior director of pharmacy at Hennepin Healthcare. Christene shares how Hennepin has used 340B savings to operate a coordinated care clinic...

All this year we are reflecting on the approaching 30th anniversary of the 340B program and celebrating the patient care successes the program has enabled over the past three decades. This week, we are joined by Andrew Lowe, clinical director of pharmacy at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in California. Arrowhead has participated in 340B since the first days that hospitals were eligible for the...

It has been an eventful summer for 340B, and we are checking in this week with 340B Health President and CEO Maureen Testoni to hear her analysis on the top 340B developments. Maureen provides updates on issues that include the contract pharmacy dispute, Medicare payment cuts, and the new drug pricing law. She also shares a preview of what may occur in the fall.  340B Contract Pharmacy Dispute Con...

Drug shortages occurring throughout the U.S. health system can lead to delays for patients receiving the medications they need. 340B hospitals face unique challenges with avoiding and managing drug shortages. We are joined by Cescilly Smith-Jenkins, 340B program director at Ascension Wisconsin, to find out how 340B hospitals can address shortage problems effectively.  Why Drug Shortages Happen The...

Pharmacy technicians play key roles in hospital 340B program operations, but pharmacy technician staffing shortages are occurring in hospitals throughout the nation. We’re joined by Dr. Tyffani Wingfield with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) to discuss how the shortages are affecting hospitals, the pharmacy technician workforce, and 340B. Tyffani also shares potential solut...

It’s that time of year again to make sure your health system or hospital has everything it needs for the 340B recertification period. 340B Health Vice President of Pharmacy Services Steven Miller returns to the podcast to discuss what is new this year for the recertification process, go over the recertification steps, and provide best practices to recertify without any errors.  What’s New for Rece...

Inventory management is a major responsibility for many 340B professionals. Today, we’re joined by Melissa Antonopoulos, senior 340B internal auditor at Memorial Healthcare System, to learn more. She discusses the intersection of 340B and inventory management and goes over practices for ensuring hospitals and their patients have the medications they need. In our news segment, we cover a new letter...

Many 340B hospital professionals want to know how to operate an efficient specialty pharmacy that improves patient health outcomes. This week, we are joined by Betty Fang, director of ambulatory, specialty, and retail pharmacy at AdventHealth Great Lakes Region, formerly part of AMITA Health. Betty discusses how she helped lead a team that embedded specialty pharmacists into an oncology clinic. Th...

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a major decision earlier this month regarding Medicare Part B cuts for 340B drugs. We’re joined by Amanda Nagrotsky, senior counsel for 340B Health to understand what implications this decision holds for 340B hospitals.   This Decision was Years in the Making Amanda provides important background on the Medicare Part B cuts and the different court cases that led to the...

This week, we are joined by Bhupinder Kaur, business analyst and 340B coordinator with NorthBay Healthcare Group in California. Bhupinder presented at the 340B Coalition 2021 Winter Conference on data analysis and shares with us important information that 340B professionals need to know about best practices. Before the interview, we highlight a recently published op-ed on the critical role of 340B...

It’s our 50th episode! This week we are joined by Amanda Sellers Smith , legal counsel for 340B Health. Amanda is responsible for tracking and responding to 340B state legislative and regulatory actions. Even though 340B is a federal program, its close relationship with state Medicaid programs often keeps it on the agendas of state lawmakers and health officials. Amanda discusses what listeners ne...

This week, we are joined by Coletta Barrett , vice president of mission at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center . Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL) is using its 340B savings to pursue health equity initiatives. Coletta shares best practices and provides inspiration for how 340B professionals can work toward eliminating health disparities in their hospitals and communities. Before the interview,...

This week, we are joined by Laurie Chiumento, director of federal relations and healthcare policy at UR Medicine, the health system for the University of Rochester in New York. Laurie is an expert on how health systems and hospitals can advocate and promote their legislative priorities to members of Congress. She shares advice to hospitals that are preparing to speak with their elected officials a...

This week, we are joined by Steven Miller, vice president of pharmacy services at 340B Health. April 1 was the third anniversary of the federal 340B ceiling price website’s launch. Steve discusses how this database has become an invaluable tool for 340B drug pricing transparency. Before the interview, our news update shares how HRSA escalated enforcement actions against one of the companies restri...

This week, we are joined for the latest in our regular check-ins with 340B Health President and CEO Maureen Testoni. Maureen analyzes the top issues in 340B that occurred in the early months of 2022. These include updates on the 340B community pharmacy dispute and a new law that protects 340B eligibility for hospitals serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Drug Company 340B Restrict...

This week, we are joined by Paul Mollo, national director of medication outcomes disparity at Ascension. Paul discusses what skills and professional backgrounds hospitals consider when building a team to operate their 340B programs and ensure compliance. He also shares overall 340B staffing trends. Before the interview, our news update covers the appointment of a new HRSA Office of Pharmacy Affair...

This week, we are joined by Emily Cook, partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. At the 340B Coalition Winter Conference, Emily spoke on a new panel about the importance of 340B professionals understanding compliance issues related to 340B that are not covered by the 340B statute. We hear from her about that session, including the process for preparing for government inquiries and the need for h...

This week, we are joined by Lauren Aronson, executive director for the Campaign for Sustainable Drug Pricing (CSRxP) . CSRxP is a coalition of health care leaders, including providers, hospitals, patients, and health plans, that monitors drug pricing developments and promotes bipartisan solutions to lower U.S. drug prices. Lauren discusses recent alarming drug pricing trends, the role 340B plays i...

This week, we are joined by Leslie Pires, director of specialty pharmacy and 340B for Care New England Health System in Rhode Island. Leslie successfully helped start Care New England’s first specialty pharmacy. She shares what 340B hospitals need to know about opening a specialty pharmacy, how to gain accreditation, and how to remain compliant with 340B. Before the interview, we update our listen...

This week, we are joined by Dr. Ellen Eaton, an assistant professor and infectious disease specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Eaton works at UAB Medicine’s 1917 Clinic , a Ryan White HIV/AIDS clinic that relies on 340B savings to treat its patients. She discusses how the health system’s clinic has partnered with local community housing organizations to provide temporary hou...

This week, we are joined again by 340B Health President and CEO Maureen Testoni . Maureen discusses and analyzes major developments for the 340B program that occurred this fall. These include updates on the community pharmacy dispute, legislation on drug pricing, and the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments on Medicare pay cuts to 340B hospitals.  Court Decisions in the 340B Community Pharmacy Dis...