Good Stewardship of the 340B Program
About Us
Kaweah Health was founded in 1963 as a district hospital. Now we are the largest hospital in Tulare County and a certified level III Trauma Center. We work with more than 4,400 medical professionals. Our eight-campus healthcare district contains over 581 beds.
Benefits of the 340B Program
Kaweah Health registered for the 340B Drug Pricing Program in 2004 as a Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) and currently resides at a rate of 28.68% on the Medicare Cost Report, nearly 3 times the 11.75% DSH threshold for the 340B Drug Discount Program. The 340B Drug Discount Program is a Federal Drug Discount Program that is tax free regulation where Drug Manufacturers agree to extend discounted prices on drug to Covered Entities.
The 340B Program is a vital lifeline for Kaweah Health, and supports vital health services in our community. The District’s 340B Program, in 2019, annual savings of $8.0 Million were invested into patient care. Below are a few examples of how 340B Savings are used to support patient care in our community.
Chronic Disease & Outpatient Diabetes Clinic treats and educates patients, specific to their tailored drug therapy, in an active partnership with their Primary Care Physician to equip and support patients with medication safety and adherence.
Family Medicine and Rural Health Clinics are expanding Primary Care and Preventative Care access throughout Tulare County. These Clinics are able to provide a broad range of health care services in primarily rural and underinsured communities and populations, including specialty care: OB/GYN, Mental Health, Internal Medicine, etc.
Expansion of Clinical Pharmacy Services focuses on specialty areas where Clinical Pharmacists and Physicians partner to maximize patient care in both In Patient and Ambulatory settings. Examples include Pain Management Teams help reduce Opioid usage, Emergency Department Pharmacy Services, and Anemia Management.
Transitions of Care Program focuses on improving the discharge process with a breadth of services, including concierge delivery of discharge medication by our In House Retail Pharmacy which increases medication adherence and reduces patient readmissions to the hospital.
Impact of Scaling Back the 340B Program
Scaling back the 340B Program would threaten Kaweah Health’s capacity to offer the services described above to our patients. The 340B Program has been an integral part of our ability to expand treatment to underserved and underinsured populations.
