How Hospitals Can Wrangle 340B Data

A key dimension to navigating 340B involves data, because the way hospitals and their pharmacies crunch numbers can be key to avoiding compliance issues and finding new opportunities to improve savings and patient access to care. Saint Francis Health System’s 340B Program Manager Ted Houston tells us how his health system is getting the most value out of all the data.Compliance and Savings OpportunitiesHouston says his health system has put in a lot of work with its enterprise and data analytics team to align what the electronic health record system is exporting to what drug companies are demanding in order to improve compliance. But he said improving reports also led to additional savings for his system, as some claims were miscategorized within third-party administrator systems. Data Consolidation, Better WorkflowsHouston said health systems can improve their data monitoring by reducing individual data sources — for example, by using a standardized data extract from a third-party administrator and using tools to scan for certain types of claims. Saint Francis found success with improving oncology medication workflows, finding tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of eligible savings on certain oncology medicines.Investing in Better Data Quality, Not VolumeTo improve data collection, Houston said self-education — both about different analytical resources and what use cases would have the biggest impact — is critical to optimizing data. Those tools may cost money, but it is important to concisely communicate the value proposition for compliance or savings when investing in new tools to improve how hospitals gather and process data.Resources:Episode 140: What Illinois 340B Advocates Did To Succeed on 340B ProtectionsIllinois Governor Signs 340B Contract Pharmacy Protections as Drugmakers File Lawsuits