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Get to Know 340B: Comprehensive Services
| Beyond affordable medications, the 340B drug pricing program sustains comprehensive services at community health centers. read on to learn more about how the program meets the unique needs of communities. |
| The federal 340B drug pricing program allows health centers to purchase outpatient medications at a discount and invest the savings into patient care. Savings from the 340B program ensure health centers can provide affordable medications and comprehensive services to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. |
| How does the 340B program expand access to comprehensive services? |
| Community health centers invest every cent of savings from the 340B program to tailor services and programs to best meet the needs of their patients. According to a study by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), 92% of community health centers report that savings from the 340B program increase access to care for low-income and/or rural patients by sustaining or expanding services.1 Health centers provide primary care and integrate services such as behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment, dental, and pharmacy to treat a wide array of their patients' needs. Community health centers in Tennessee depend on 340B savings to support behavioral health care, dental, OB/GYN, and pediatrics. Tennessee's centers reflect a broader national trend in which health centers report relying on the 340B program to provide behavioral health services (59%), substance use treatment (49%), dental (42%), and OB/GYN (30%).2 To deliver such comprehensive care, health centers rely on care teams composed of a diverse array of clinical and non-clinical staff who work together to address needs of their patients. Sixty-nine percent report using the savings for care coordination and enabling services, which address non-clinical needs.3 However, many of these programs and services are not reimbursed by payers. Eighty-seven percent of health centers report relying on the 340B program to support services and providers that are not currently reimbursed including staff such as community health workers and case managers, as well as pharmacists.4 |
| What can you do to support health centers and the 340B program? |
| The 340B program ensures people can access care and services that break down barriers to care and help patients address medical and non-medical needs. Please reach out to your Members of Congress and urge them to support the 340B program to ensure that patients in Tennessee and across the country can receive comprehensive care. |
| [1] National Association of Community Health Centers. (2022). 340B: A Critical Program for Health Centers. Retrieved from https://www.nachc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NACHC-340B-Health-Center-Report_-June-2022-.pdf |
| [2] Ibid. |
| [3] Ibid. |
| [4] Ibid. |