Anna Brown, MHEP, MBA, VP of Medical Affairs, Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
As a leader within Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, I want to emphasize how vital the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program is for communities like ours in central Kansas. It’s an important safety net that helps us ensure everyone has access to affordable medications and other services.
The 340B Program enables us to provide outpatient medications at significantly reduced prices so that we can stretch scarce resources. The resulting savings fund essential services and treatments for our most vulnerable patients. Beyond making prescriptions more affordable for senior citizens and low-income families, this program is crucial for delivering necessary treatment and related services for the uninsured. Most recognizably, it has been instrumental in keeping diabetic care, such as insulin, affordable for average Kansans.
I am also a parent of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, so I know personally how important access to insulin and glucose monitoring technology is to controlling the disease. This directly impacts the health and happiness of both patients and their families. Navigating the systems of pharmaceutical benefits, deductibles, copays, rebates and assistance programs can be challenging and often involves the entire care team. At a recent dinner with local physicians, a pharmacist and a mental health provider, they shared their frustrations with these complexities and the amount of time that is needed after a visit to ensure that a patient can actually get the medications that have been prescribed to them.
Savings from the 340B Program are reinvested into our health system to improve patient care, retain services and fund community health initiatives. Hutchinson Regional Medical Center has recently implemented a Nurse Navigator program to follow up with patients after a hospital stay and access to medication is often the greatest need. Reducing prices of prescriptions increases patient compliance with treatment regimens and reduces hospital readmissions.
Earlier this year, Kansas lawmakers recognized the importance of the 340B Program and its benefits to Kansans and health care providers by passing legislation that prohibits drug manufacturers from limiting contract pharmacy arrangements. I encourage all readers to contact our state legislators and voice their continued support for the continuation of a healthy and robust 340B Program.
About the Author: Anna Brown works as the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, a part of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System. HRHS serves south-central Kansas with a 190-bed hospital; mental health, outpatient, hospice and homecare services and durable medical equipment. Anna lives in western Reno County and her work involves the Medical Staff, Patient Relations, Risk Management and Infection Prevention.