MedLink Health Connections Podcast

Exploring Affordable Medications and Community Impact with Dennis Kimbrell 

• MedLink Georgia • Season 1 • Episode 4

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The podcast discusses the 340B Drug Pricing Program, emphasizing its role in providing affordable medications to underserved communities through healthcare facilities. We explore eligibility criteria, the program's impact on patient access, and the positive changes it fosters in local healthcare systems.

• Overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program 
• Explanation of eligible covered entities 
• How 340B functions in pharmacy settings 
• Testimonials on patient experiences with 340B 
• Importance of patient eligibility requirements 
• Community impact of the 340B program 
• Discussion on expanding services due to cost savings

Tangela:

Welcome to the MedLink Health Connections podcast. I'm Tangela, and today we're joined by Dennis Kimbrell, our Director of Pharmacy Services. We'll be discussing the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which helps healthcare facilities serving low-income communities access discounted medications. Dennis will cover the program's history, eligible facilities and how it works in a pharmacy setting. We'll also talk about patient eligibility and the program's impact on healthcare facilities and communities. Dennis, thank you so much for joining us. Let's get started. So first of all, let's kind of start off with exactly what is the 340B Drug Pricing Program and why was it created?

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well, good morning and thank you for having me on. The 340B drug pricing program is essentially just a prescription discount program. It's supported by the federal government and it's been around for more than 30 years and allows certain types of health care facilities, like Medlink Georgia, to purchase medications at a reduced price. And the healthcare entities that typically qualify for 340B are the ones that are providing care to large numbers of low-income and uninsured patients, and the program has two main purposes. I mean one is just make medications more affordable for patients, and we do that here at MedLink. It also serves to help a 340B eligible health care provider to stretch the limited federal funding they receive so that they can serve more patients and offer more services.

Tangela:

Perfect, and which health care facilities qualify for the 340B program?

Dennis Kimbrell:

There's actually a lot. Several types of facilities can qualify for the program, but they're commonly referred to as covered entities. So throughout the day I might do this, I might mention that term. Some examples that you would see would be like a rural hospital that serves large numbers of uninsured patients, some children's hospitals, hiv clinics and, of course, community health centers, like here at Medlink Nice.

Tangela:

How does the 340B program work in a pharmacy setting?

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well, as I just mentioned, only these qualifying covered entities like Medlink can access this program, and they often choose to operate a pharmacy in their facility as well. So the pharmacies can purchase medications at a discounted rate from their normal pharmacy wholesaler, and then these discounts can be substantial, often 20 to 50% off what you would normally see if you were buying it in a non-340B price.

Tangela:

Then these discounted medications are then dispensed to patients that are receiving health care from that covered entity, and the goal being to improve access to affordable medications, and this is particularly for an uninsured patient or a low-income patient, nice, I will say I personally have been using our pharmacy myself and the discounts are crazy, like I used to be stressed about purchasing my medication because it would be like different every single time and it always felt like it was super outrageous. And I have had the consistent, a consistent price first of all, and it has not been like hurtful to my wallet. So I am very grateful for our pharmacy.

Dennis Kimbrell:

Yeah, and that's so good to hear, and the thing is that the medications keep getting more expensive, and so does everything else in this world, and people only have to decide between sandwiched meat and medication don't normally choose the medication, so it's a good feeling knowing that we have a resource where we can impact people that has an actual effect on their health and their lives, so that's a great thank you for sharing that.

Tangela:

Yeah, of course. So what are some of the eligibility requirements for patients to access the 340B medications?

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well, there are some specific eligibility criteria for MedLink or a covered entity to dispense a 340B medication. In our setting, I usually explain this to our team as simply our patient, our clinic and our providers. So, first, the patient has to receive healthcare services from MedLink, so they have to be our patient, and second, they have to be seen or treated at an actual facility, so the building itself has to be registered and approved to receive a 340B medication. And here at Medlink all of our locations are registered and approved. And lastly, the patients need to see one of our doctors, so they need to receive care from a provider who is either employed by us or is under some kind of contract with us to provide care for our patients. And the requirements are actually very important because we have to ensure that the 340B program just benefits patients who are genuinely receiving a comprehensive care for MedLink.

Tangela:

What kind of impact does this program have on healthcare facilities and their communities?

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well this is. It has a tremendous impact, as mentioned already, that these 340B entities like Medlink can purchase these medications at a reduced price and that can lead to a substantial cost savings for the healthcare facility. And these facilities can use the savings from this program to expand services. That can include opening a new clinic in an area of need, offering additional medical services or even extending hours of operation. The program helps to ensure that our low-income and our underserved patients have access to affordable medications, and this can lead to better health outcomes, reduced hospital readmissions. The savings can be used to subsidize care for patients who are, you know, uninsured or underinsured, and this helps ensure that all the patients can receive the care they need from us, regardless of their ability to pay. And additionally, the 340B program funds can be used to support community health initiatives such as health education programs and preventative care programs and outreach efforts. I mean overall, the program enables MedLink to provide a more comprehensive and accessible care to all the communities that we serve, but particularly just benefiting those who are in need.

Tangela:

I can say that I appreciate that we have these services for our community. I just think it is so awesome and amazing and I think that you speak so well on it and I have learned so much about it and have just a deeper understanding and I really enjoy your passion for this program that we have.

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well, if selfishly, it feels pretty good to be able to help people. So I, like I said earlier, I do enjoy hearing the stories and helping people and I know that in our communities that we serve we have more need than we can meet. We have more need than we can meet and this is one resource. We have to try to meet that need and MedLink works very hard to find every resource we can, and our mission can't be accomplished without all of these services.

Dennis Kimbrell:

I know when I was younger I lived in Winder for a while and my pediatrician just went out of business and so I looked around, you know, and I had two children and there's she just left and went to Athens. I lived in Winder and you know she was the only pediatrician still in Winder and Medlink, you know, opened up a pediatrician's office because that was the need for that community, and so we're talking about 340B today, but we opened that. That opened because that was the need for that community. At the time there wasn't a pediatrician in Winder and I think the 340B program is. You know it has such a huge impact on being able to help patients reduce the cost of their medication, but it also really, really helps in situations like that, where it can provide funding for the healthcare facility MedLink in our case to be able to do things like that. When you look at a county and say, wow, we really need dental services, you know, we really need imaging services, you know. So it's a great feeling. It is.

Tangela:

I'm so glad that we have this and I'm glad that you are so passionate about all of it. Thank you so much for speaking with me today. This was awesome. I hope everyone really learned as much as I did, because I feel like I learned a lot and I never really realized how much our pharmacy services value to our company. I know people always talk about it, but just learning more about it really shows the value.

Dennis Kimbrell:

Well, thank you so much for having me today and having an opportunity to speak on it.

Tangela:

Thank you for tuning in to the MedLink Health Connections podcast. We hope you found today's episode informative and inspiring. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, rate and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Remember, the information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your health care provider for any medical concerns. Stay connected with us on social media and visit our website at medlinkgaorg for more resources and updates. No-transcript.