All this year we are reflecting on the approaching 30th anniversary of the 340B program and celebrating the patient care successes the program has enabled over the past three decades. This week, we are joined by Andrew Lowe, clinical director of pharmacy at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in California. Arrowhead has participated in 340B since the first days that hospitals were eligible for the program. Andy has had a front-row seat the entire time to see the difference 340B has made in the lives of patients in need and the health care safety net’s ability to care for them. He shares how Arrowhead navigated health care in a pre-340B world and what the program has allowed his hospital to accomplish in patient care over the past 30 years. Prior to the interview, we share several news updates on new developments on Medicare cuts for 340B drugs, the release of new 340B research, and more. 

The Ability to Serve More Patients 

Arrowhead was one of the first hospitals to participate in 340B. Andy shares about the challenges the hospital had faced when caring for low-income patients prior to 340B and what changed once the hospital started receiving 340B discounts. 

Improved Patient Health Outcomes 

With its 340B savings, Arrowhead expanded treatment programs to more patients. Andy discusses how the hospital used 340B savings to help fund hepatitis C and cancer treatment services and how patient health outcomes have improved. 

Advice to Other 340B Professionals

Andy has nearly 30 years of experience in 340B, so we had to ask him his most important piece of advice to other professionals operating their hospitals’ 340B programs. Andy also shares how his career brought him to the world of safety-net hospitals and 340B. 

Check out all of our episodes on the 340B Insight podcast website. You also can stay updated on all 340B Health news and information by visiting our homepage. If you have any questions you’d like us to cover in this podcast, email us at [email protected].

Resources 

1. Report: 340B DSH Hospitals Serve Higher Share of Patients with Low Incomes
2. Report Infographic: 340B DSH Hospitals Serve Higher Share of Patients with Low Incomes
3. Federal Judge Reiterates that Medicare 340B Cuts Must End Immediately  
4. Bipartisan Letter from Senators Joe Manchin and Mike Braun to HHS Regarding the 340B Contract Pharmacy Dispute