Q: Where did you complete your professional training?
I attended the Pharmacy Technician Program at Idaho State University.
Q: Where do you live?
Priest River, Idaho
Q: If a friend came to visit you in your hometown, where would you take them? Where would you take them in your state?
Hometown: Priest Lake, Idaho
State: All the national and state parks
Q: Tell us about your health care facility.
Bonner General Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital (CAH) that includes a health care network of outpatient clinics and services serving Sandpoint, all of Bonner County, and the surrounding region. CAHs are an essential part of rural communities. Bonner General is often the only source of health care in our vulnerable community and serves a crucial safety-net role for the elderly, low-income, uninsured, and other underserved populations, many of whom may face financial and/or travel barriers that restrict their ability to seek care outside our community. Because of our CAH designation, Bonner General is eligible to participate in the 340B program.
Q: What are some concrete examples of how your facility has benefitted from the 340B program?
Bonner General uses savings from the 340B program to help provide a variety of services to help care for the most at risk in our community. 340B savings also support Bonner General Health’s ability to provide services to under- and uninsured patients, regardless of their ability to pay. We use 340B savings to keep our doors open so we can continue to provide vital services to our community. In 2020, we were able to add ophthalmology and family practice clinics to our list of existing services, which include an emergency department (level 3 trauma center), hospice, intensive behavioral therapy, acute care unit, intensive care unit, obstetrics unit, women’s health, infusion and procedures clinic, immediate care, surgical services, and others.
Q: How has your facility benefitted from the services of your 340B vendors/contractors?
I use the Apexus website (340Bpvp.com) and Apexus Answers call center to manage our program’s integrity and compliance. I also attend online webinars and the in-person 340B University. Apexus is our first source for compliance questions, manufacturer contract verification, and educational support for myself and staff.
Q: What advice do you have for 340B covered entities or staff that are new to the program?
First and foremost, sign up with the 340B Prime Vendor Program and take advantage of 340B University OnDemand online learning, contracting, and their compliance tools and templates. Join 340B Health. 340B is a complicated beast that may seem overwhelming at first; however, we are all in this together. Ask lots of questions; you do not know what you do not know.
For questions, Sandy can be reached at brower@bonnergeneral.org.
To learn more about Bonner General Health, click here.
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Tiffany D. Taylor, CPCO, Director of Compliance, Allies in Hope, is also a recipient of this year’s scholarship for the Apexus Advanced 340B Operations Certificate Program. She will be featured in a 340B Report Spotlight in July.
To learn more about validating your 340B expertise with the Apexus Advanced 340B Operations Certificate Program, please visit 340BACE.com. Sign up to be notified when the next application window opens for the Apexus Advanced 340B Operations Certificate Program Scholarship by visiting Apexus.com/Scholarship.
