340B Unscripted
Pharmacists and healthcare industry leaders Rob ‘Hoopi’ Nahoopii PharmD, MS, ACE and Greg Wilson PharmD, BCPS, ACE dive deeply into the complicated and contentious 340B Program as well as other pressing Pharmacy matters. Special guests and industry experts pop in frequently to add insights from all sides of the discussion. If you serve in the pharmacy sector, this podcast is a must-listen!
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Episodes
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
In this episode, Rob and Greg discuss an interesting piece of 340B history – the Morford letter (25:31). Rob shares his understanding of the origins of the letter and contemporary application of the letter as it relates to the recent debate around the 340B-eligible patient definition.
But first, the guys catch up on 340B news, including: -A reminder of 340B protections offered under the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (i.e., DSH attestation)-Legislative updates from the House E&C health subcommittee bill mark-up session-Updated manufacturer restrictions for contract pharmacies
To access a copy of the Morford Letter: http://content.spendmend.com/assets/Morford-Letter-1.26.01.pdf
Monday May 15, 2023
Monday May 15, 2023
Greg and Rob provide a quick update on FAQ 4301 and where we are with HRSA removing language around the immediate use of new 340B locations.
Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
In this episode, Rob and Greg are joined by guest Ted Slafsky, of 340B Report and Wexford Solutions (13:20). Ted shares his thoughts on the ongoing contract pharmacy impasse, updates on legislative developments coming out of D.C., and highlights some of the emerging advocacy groups as the debate over 340B Program reform heats up.
But first, Greg and Rob discuss upcoming recertification for grantee-covered entities and debate what the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency means for 340B covered entities.
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
This week, Rob and Greg connected with Vacheria Keys, Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at NACHC. Vacheria will talk about her role at NACHC and how the health centers she represents have been impacted by a number of ongoing 340B developments (23:05). She’ll also share her thoughts on where things may go in terms of ongoing litigation related to contract pharmacy restrictions and patient definition (30:29). Finally, Vacheria and the guys will chat about NACHC’s 340B advocacy efforts, specifically the recently unveiled ASAP 340B policy principles (39:48).
In the intro, the guys follow up on some earlier discussions regarding HRSA audit numbers projected for 2023, recent OPAIS changes, and a bipartisan bill introduced in the House, “The PROTECT 340B Act”.
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Rob is back from San Diego, and he and Greg have a lot to catch up on, including a recap of notable events and sessions from the 340B Coalition 2023 Winter Conference (27:37). But first, They’ll discuss recent changes to manufacturer-related contract pharmacy restrictions (1:03), share insights from recent Congressional hearings where 340B has been a focus (13:42), discuss recent OPAIS changes (20:43) and talk about the impact hospitals might expect with the phase-out of continuous Medicaid coverage starting this month (24:03).
Stick around at the end to catch sound bytes from SpendMend staff on what they learned at the Coalition conference!
AHA Talking Points for 340B Advocacy: https://www.aha.org/talking-points/2023-04-04-talking-points-ensuring-protection-vital-340b-program-patients-and-providers
Monday Mar 27, 2023
Monday Mar 27, 2023
In this episode, Rob and Greg dissect some of the finer details of the ASAP 340B policy principles. They’ll address the merits of proposed reform around topics like patient definition, hospital and child site eligibility, contract pharmacy provisions, and 340B savings transparency, among other targeted policy areas. Also, with the 340B Coalition Winter Conference right around the corner, the guys highlight sessions and presentations (41:08) featuring SpendMend clients and 340B friends that you won’t want to miss. The SpendMend Pharmacy team will be at Booth 319, so if you attend the Coalition, make sure to stop by. And no worries if you cannot make it this year, we’ll be taking notes and sharing insights from our experience at Coalition on upcoming episodes.
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
In this episode, Rob and Greg are joined by pharmacist leader and 340B expert Leah Marcelin (22:32) to share thoughts and ideas about building out an expert staff to manage your 340B program. They’ll debate strategies for right-sizing and organizing your team, share tips on recruiting 340B talent, and offer ideas on how to provide training and enrichment to 340B team staff members.
But first, Rob and Greg spend some time discussing a new organization - ASAP 340B, and their advocacy campaign proposing several reforms to the 340B Program. They’ll give a run-down of each of the 10 policy principles developed by this group, many of which aim at recent hot topics in the 340B community, including contract pharmacy arrangements, patient definition, hospital eligibility, and transparency of 340B Program data, among others.
Read ASAP 340B’s policy principles here: https://www.asap340b.org/policy-principles
Connect with Leah Marcelin on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hmarcelin
Your Expert Hosts
We are bringing a new podcast to you called “340B Unscripted” where we dive into the complicated and sometimes contentious aspects of the 340B Program, as well as other hot topics in the pharmacy and healthcare space. Our goal with this podcast is to help inspire and educate pharmacy professionals so they may take full advantage of everything the 340B Program has to offer, and in so doing they can better serve patients.