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The devastating double-whammy of Medicare Part B payment cuts and COVID-19 has again highlighted the 340B program’s significance to hospital finance. Once relegated to the hospital’s basement pharmacy, the 340B program is increasingly a topic of boardroom and C-suite discussions.

In the latest episode of Omnicell’s The Future of Pharmacy podcast, learn how health systems can leverage a vibrant, pharmacy-finance partnership to drive successful 340B programs, and allow pharmacy staff more time to focus on patient care. Find out why 340B program management has evolved, the program challenges that health systems still face, and the data and operational complexities that necessitate a cross-functional approach.

Host:

Ken Perez, Vice President, Healthcare Policy and Government Affairs, Omnicell

Guest experts:

• Eric Iorfido, PharmD, 340B Program Manager, Penn Highlands DuBois
• Charles Hirner, RPh, Senior Director, Omnicell 340B Operations

SPONSORED CONTENT by Ross Halsne

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Covered Entities (CEs) to effectively manage their 340B pharmacy programs.  Often times understaffed relative to the task of handling the myriad of challenges that come with managing a 340B program, they face a seemingly constant barrage of maneuvering and attacks aimed at reducing their 340B benefit.  In response, many Covered Entities are evaluating new strategies to strengthen or reinvigorate their program. If your Covered Entity is taking a fresh look at its 340B program, make sure you are considering the following:

Evaluate The Merits of an Onsite Pharmacy Strategy

For CEs that can support this model, an onsite pharmacy can be an attractive option for a number of reasons.  Often, CEs will seek the assistance of a third-party to help them evaluate, launch, and manage an onsite pharmacy program.  If you are thinking about starting or growing an onsite pharmacy program, here are some considerations to keep in mind:

• The vendors in this space have important differences to their service models that can make apples-to-apples comparisons difficult.  Cheaper doesn’t

25% – 35%
of a hospital’s contract pharmacy opportunity lies in referral prescriptions

There are several ways to enhance, boost, and optimize 340B savings. This white paper looks at how capturing referrals can benefit a covered entity’s 340B program savings and mission.

HRSA GUIDELINES REGARDING REFERRALS

According to HRSA guidelines, a covered entity may send a patient to an outside clinic not registered with 340B and consider the patient 340B-eligible only if that patient receives care from a healthcare professional who is either employed by the covered entity or provides healthcare under contractual or other arrangements (e.g., referral for consultation) such that the responsibility for the patient’s care remains with the covered entity. If the covered entity can document that it retained responsibility for the services provided to the patient, then that individual may be eligible to receive 340B drugs from the covered entity.¹

To meet these criteria, the covered entity’s medical record must show the referral order by the eligible provider in an eligible clinic, as well as a summary of the diagnosis and care provided

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Do you provide clinical care for patients living with or at risk of HIV? If so, you know how important it is to consider their needs beyond the clinic visit.

The patient journey is not linear. Social stigma, family issues, mental health challenges, financial hardship, and fear of discrimination are only a few obstacles patients may face. When individuals come to your clinic for care, it is often just the first step in a complicated journey to better health. Although accessing your services is a crucial step towards engaging in a patient’s own sexual wellness, keeping them adherent to their medications often presents a separate set of challenges.

Clinics like yours do so much to treat patients and help them stay adherent. However, an important resource in the care continuum is often underutilized: the pharmacy team.

Patients and health care providers alike sometimes assume that one pharmacy is as good as the next when it

SPONSORED CONTENT

Acentrus Specialty hosted its first Acentrus Specialty Conference on January 12-13, 2021, which brought together pharmacists, manufacturers, and suppliers to examine the challenges, opportunities, and best practices in advancing health system specialty pharmacy practice. A pharmacy paradigm shift is under way, as Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) are partnering to grow their specialty pharmacy operations.

“The conference highlighted the collaborative potential of our client network,” says George Zula, RPh, MBA, CSP, Acentrus Specialty Vice President. “It provided a valuable forum for specialty pharmacy leaders to network, share best practices, and focus collectively on working together to produce the data and operational insights that will drive excellence in patient care and outcomes.”

It is increasingly important for health system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs) to participate with a network administrator such as Acentrus, which allows data exchange to create metrics that demonstrate positive patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness.
—Chris Hatwig, RPh, MS, FASHP, Apexus President

Today, one in four hospitals operate specialty pharmacies, a ratio that increases to nine in 10