Q: Tell us some interesting details about your company’s history.
Red Chip entered the 340B scene 24 years ago, just as Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs) were looking to increase funding for programs to support their patients. Armed with knowledge built from working in the ‘homecare’ arena for 16 years, our founders responded to a call from Region IX Director and HTC Medical Director, Diane Nugent, MD, who wanted to start a 340B program at her HTC in Southern California. And so, Children’s Hospital of Orange County became the first 340B program we helped build, grow and thrive. Since then, we have partnered with HTCs across the U.S. to start ten more 340B programs from scratch and worked with another 22 HTCs to help grow and improve their existing 340B programs. By assisting and supporting the program and their patients, we ensure the stability of these critical centers of healthcare for patients who have historically struggled to get the specific care they need.
More recently Red Chip has been contacted by other types of 340B covered entities (CEs) to provide specialty pharmacy services to their patient populations as well, so we are looking forward to this new chapter in our company’s history.
Q: Provide some fun facts about your company:
- Founders (Steve and Mary Ann) have been in the hemophilia community for 40 years.
- Our employees LOVE to work here, and about half our staff has worked here more than 10 years and quite a few have been here 20 years!
- We recently celebrated the 24th anniversary of our first patient on-service.
- Currently, we ship orders to 11 states, but we are licensed to ship to all 50 states!
- Most of our clients have come to us after being referred from other happy clients.
- Our fun-loving cofounder Steve wears shorts and flip flops to work.
Q: What makes your company unique in the 340B space?
Red Chip is the only specialty pharmacy in the U.S. that does not have patients of our own; we provide medications to patients via each CE’s 340B program. This means that paperwork and orders are branded with the CE’s name and logo, which helps reinforce to families that their pharmacy provider is the Center where they receive their care. We do not compete with a CE for their patients; we are truly in the business of supporting their program in compliance and growth to enhance patient services. To promote continuity and familiarity, we assign a dedicated Customer Care Specialist to each patient and when patients call in with questions, their call is answered by a live person. No annoying phone trees or long wait times! We are big enough to have experience and important contacts with manufacturers, payers, and medical centers; but small enough to provide individualized and personal care to our clients and their patients.
Q: What about your company’s work are you most proud of?
The grant dollars that HTC’s receive are not sufficient to fully staff their clinics and provide comprehensive care to patients and families affected by bleeding and clotting disorders. We are proud that our experience and diligence in working with local and national payers to acquaint them with the benefits of having these HTCs in their networks has brought much-needed income that can be used to support a staff of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and genetic counselors who can meet the unique needs of their patients.
Click here to learn more about Red Chip or for questions email mbarth@redchip.org
Red Chip Cofounders Steve Yamaguchi and Mary Ann Barth
