For many families in rural Ohio, the cost of a single prescription can mean the difference between managing a chronic condition and going without treatment altogether.

At Community Health & Wellness Partners (CHWP), a federal program called 340B is helping to close that gap, and most patients have likely never heard of it.

What is the 340B Program?

The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows certain healthcare organizations, known as Covered Entities, to purchase outpatient medications at a discounted price. CHWP qualifies for this program because it is designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), one of several types of organizations eligible to participate.

"340B is a drug pricing program that allows CHWP to purchase medications at a discounted rate and then pass that savings on to our patients," said Mallory Hipsher, PharmD, BCPS, Chief Pharmacy Officer at CHWP.

Importantly, taxpayers do not fund the program. Instead, drug manufacturers that choose to participate sell medications to Covered Entities at the discounted 340B price. In exchange, those manufacturers are guaranteed that Medicare and Medicaid will cover their medications.

Lowering the Cost of Everyday Medications

For patients who are uninsured, underinsured or facing a high deductible, 340B pricing can make a significant difference at the pharmacy counter. The program helps make critical medications more affordable, including insulin, inhalers, antidepressants, and blood pressure medication; treatments that many patients would otherwise struggle to afford.

Hipsher says the savings generated by 340B allow CHWP to do more than lower a price tag; they allow the pharmacy team to actively intervene when a patient's health is at risk.

"Some of our patients are uninsured or underinsured," Hipsher said. "We use our 340B savings to hire team members to help guide patients through the insurance sign-up process. If a patient is on critical medication which they should not go without, insulin, inhalers, BP medications, and the like, CHWP Pharmacy works with the patients and providers to ensure the patient does not go without medication."

Hipsher shared one example from her own work with a patient, filling the patient's pill box on a monthly basis.

"While reviewing her home medication list, she revealed that she had stopped using her maintenance inhaler for her COPD," Hipsher said.

"This patient was repeatedly being hospitalized for COPD exacerbations. Using the 340B pricing program, we were able to get the patient started back on her inhaler and help ensure she can take her maintenance inhaler every day, as prescribed."

"We use 340B savings to hire more clinical pharmacists to help identify patients who we may be able to help get healthy, stay healthy, and avoid having to go to the hospital," she added.

CHWP Pharmacy is open to the public. Anyone in the community can fill a prescription there, regardless of where they receive their primary care.

However, not every patient qualifies for 340B pricing. To qualify for 340B pricing, a patient must be a patient of CHWP.

More Than a Discount: Expanding Access to Care

The benefits of 340B extend beyond the pharmacy. CHWP reinvests the savings generated by the program back into services for patients across Logan and Champaign counties. Because of 340B, CHWP can offer:

• Free prescription delivery to patients in Logan and Champaign counties

• One-on-one visits with clinical pharmacists to help patients manage their medications

• Nutrition counseling and dietitian visits

• Behavioral health group therapy

• Chronic disease management, case management and insurance navigation support

These integrated services reflect CHWP's integrated approach to care, treating not just a diagnosis, but the full picture of a patient's health and circumstances.

Clearing Up Common Misconceptions

Hipsher says one of the biggest misunderstandings she encounters is what 340B is and who it's for.

"340B is not insurance, it is not for 'poor people,' and it is not paid for by tax dollars," Hipsher said. "It is a drug pricing program that allows CHWP to purchase medications at a discounted rate and pass that savings on to our patients. Anyone who is a patient of CHWP qualifies for 340B pricing."

She notes that patients with insurance may not notice much difference in what they pay at the pharmacy counter, since their prescription costs are largely determined by their insurance plan. But for patients who are uninsured or facing a copay they can't afford, the program plays a much larger role.

"If a patient has an unaffordable copay or is uninsured, the CHWP Pharmacy team will use 340B savings to ensure the patient does not go without their critical medications," Hipsher said.

"The 340B Program allows CHWP to live our mission every day by removing barriers to care and providing quality, whole-person, patient-centered care to anyone and everyone in our community."

Why It Matters for Rural Communities

Access to specialty care and comprehensive services can be limited in rural areas, and transportation or cost barriers can make it even harder for patients to get the care they need. The 340B program allows CHWP to stretch its resources further, offering services that might not otherwise be financially possible in a rural healthcare setting.

Learn More

Patients with questions about whether their prescription qualifies for 340B pricing or who want to learn more about the services available through CHWP Pharmacy are encouraged to contact CHWP Pharmacy Services directly. Additional information about the federal 340B program is also available through the Health Resources and Services Administration at hrsa.gov/opa.

For more information about Community Health & Wellness Partners and the services available in your community, visit CHWPcares.org or call 937-599-1411.

Community Health & Wellness Partners is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving

Logan and Champaign counties with a mission to provide quality, whole-person, patient-centered healthcare to anyone and everyone in the community