insights into the 340B pharmacy program.
- What did you learn from the question post links that you did not know?
I was not very familiar with the 340b pricing program, how it works, who are covered and now the controversies that surround it. Since the 340B of Public Health Service act provides drugs at discounted prices to health care institutions caring for uninsured and low income patients, this is of great importance in addressing the issues on health disparity and inequality. I come from a rural community that has one community hospital and a critical access hospital in the next town and the 340b pricing program would be extremely beneficial to the low income and indigent population of our county. The controversy on how some of the largest drug manufacturers have stopped providing discounts to 340B drugs and violating the 340B statute is quite alarming. Upon doing further reading on what current regarding this issue, the California Hospital Association news (2023) stated that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will provide lump-sum settlement for claims, including beneficiary cost sharing due to the CMS reducing payment for separately payable outpatient drugs acquired under the 340B program.
- Did you find any 340b pharmacies around your home?
There are several 340B facilities Mendocino County, California, where I currently reside. One of these facilities is Adventist Health Ukiah Valley that utilizes the 340B program to provide services such as free vaccinations, access to specialty care, Homeless Street Medicine Program and other medical services for vulnerable populations (Adventisthealth.org, n.d.). Another facility that is part of the 340B program is Adventist Health Howard Memorial, a critical access hospital. Other facilities included in the 340B pricing program are the Hillside Health Center and Little Lake Health Center of Mendocino Community Health Clinic which are both an HRSA-funded health center. CVS pharmacy in Ukiah, California participates in the 340B pricing program.
- Do you know anyone who accesses 340b drugs?
I personally do now know anyone who accesses 340B medications. Patients eligible for the 340B pricing program are required to receive health care services from a 340B covered entity, must receive services from a health care professional employed by the 340B entity and must be receiving health care services that are consistent with those provided by the 340B institution (Kushan, 2016). In certain emergency situations, an individual may qualify to receive 340B drugs with the appropriate record of the medical evaluation and treatment provided or prescribed (HRSA, 2022).
- What are some other ways that can help patients save money on prescriptions?
There are several ways on how patients can lower the costs of their prescriptions. One recommendation from the AAFP (2019) is to use extended prescriptions, buying in bulk (90 day prescriptions), to reduce copayments and improve on medication adherence. Providers may also substitute a less costly medication, or use the “$4 lists” of several large chain pharmacies (AAFP, 2019). It is also advisable to use pharmacies that are within your insurance provider’s network so as not to pay for the full retail price of a medication. Use generic instead of brand-name drugs, especially since generic forms of the medication contain the same active ingredients and try to research on which pharmaceutical companies offer patient assistance programs (PAPs) for low-income, high-need population (United HealthCare, 2021). Many pharmaceutical companies offer PAPs that may offer free or low-cost drugs to qualified individuals based on several eligibility criteria evaluated during the application process (California Health Advocates, n.d.). It is important to collaborate with the provider and the pharmacist with regards to choosing the lower cost medications. Ask if there is a generic version of the drug, or switch to a similar medication that is available in generic form, or change to a generic version in a different formulation (Zand, 2022). Check the big retail and club stores such as Walmart and Costco for “generic drug discount programs,” which can have excellent prices on generic medicines, regardless of insurance coverage (Zand, 2022).
- List two websites where you can find drug pricing or help patients receive discount drug pricing at the pharmacy.
There are several websites that can help patients find the lowest prescription prices, and are helpful in making price comparison of prescription drugs. One such website is the “GoodRx” website. Patients can use discount coupons offered by companies such as GoodRx and can choose the pharmacy with the lowest price based on estimates from the website (Hong and Shcherbakova, 2021). From the study conducted by Hong and Shcherbakova (2021), they concluded that the GoodRx discounted cash prices for several medications were significantly lower than undiscounted cash price from different pharmacies. One other tool mentioned by Zand (2022) in helping patients lower their medication costs is the AARP’s “Drug Savings Tool” website, which helps determine if there are less costly medication options that the patient can discuss with his provider. Another website that is helpful for patients is Needymeds.org, a national non-profit organization that enables people find programs to help them afford the cost of their medications and healthcare services by providing them with information on all types of programs that assists those with financial constraints (Needymeds.org, 2018)
References:
California Health Advocates. (n.d.). Resources for Prescription drug cost savings. https://cahealthadvocates.org/prescription-drugs/r…
California Hospital Association. (2023, November 9). Certain 304B hospitals to receive lump sum settelement. CHA News. https://calhospital.org/certain-340b-hospitals-to-receive-lump-sum-settlement/
Health Resources and Services Administration. (2022, June). 340B eligibility. https://www.hrsa.gov/opa/eligibility-and-registration
Hong, M., & Shcherbakova, N. (2021). Comparison of Discounted and Undiscounted Cash Prices for Cardiovascular Medications by Type of US Community Pharmacy. Journal of general internal medicine, 36(1), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06149-7
Kushan, D. (2016, September 23). Who is eligible for 340B pricing. Healthcare IS. https://www.healthcareis.com/blog/who-is-eligible-…
NeedyMeds. (2018, March 4). The history of NeedyMeds. NeedyMeds. https://www.needymeds.org/history
United Health Care. (2021). 9 ways to help save on prescriptions. https://www.uhc.com/news-articles/benefits-and-cov…
Zand, J. (2022, December 2). Patient education: Coping with high prescription drug prices in the United States (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/coping-with-high…
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