Withum was engaged to assist a southwestern academic medical center grow its 340B Program to increase savings while also ensuring compliance and sustainability. Learn how our proprietary analytics tool helped the health system achieve its goals.
Executive Summary
Withum was engaged to assist the Health System grow its 340B Program to increase savings while also ensuring compliance and sustainability. Withum leveraged its proprietary analytics tool to ingest data from across the health system, including disparate EMRs, to harness actionable intelligence that guided decision-making related to program enhancement. Program enhancement initiatives included new partnerships, adjustments to the clinic organization structure, and process changes. Sustainability was ensured through the custom development and implementation of the Withum 340B tool, which now provides real-time dashboards for all program elements including purchasing, contract
pharmacy, and compliance.
The Client
An academic medical center based in the Southwest with three hospital locations, 1,000+ total beds, 57 registered 340B child sites, 63 340B contract pharmacies and $120M+ annual drug spend.
The Challenge
The client knew its 340B program was underperforming given its average WAC spend and limited pharmacy network. Withum was engaged to expand the program utilizing their technology-first approach. The client realized results in a shorter timeframe using the 340B software provided by Withum rather than a traditional 340B strategy of other consultants, who also demanded a higher price tag and more complicated consulting model. Withum’s model allowed the client to sustain the program after the engagement concluded and the consulting team left the site.
The Approach and Solution
Withum used enhanced data analytics to review multiple years of system-wide e-prescribing data to rapidly identify expansion opportunities through both clinic conversions and new partnership opportunities. They integrated data from four disparate EMRs, three e-prescribing systems and four contract pharmacy platforms into Withum’s 340B tool creating a “one-stop shop” for their need. Withum’s 340B expertise was leveraged to reduce the go-live timeline, negotiate favorable contract terms, maximize benefit and avoid typical pitfalls that can derail implementations (e.g., data issues, missing forms, etc.) They accelerated the timeline by working with regulatory agencies to arrange for immediate eligibility of child sites and contract pharmacies, negotiated 340B contract pharmacy agreements to ensure favorable terms and assisted with project management during implementations to increase efficiency related to data feeds, troubleshooting, and contracting. Withum developed a unique solution and customized the 340B platform for the client to monitor real-time program performance and manage compliance.
The Results, ROI
Through successful partnership, Withum and the Health System were able to accelerate the growth of its 340B program at a time when the additional savings were sorely needed. Program success was achieved through a blend of advanced analytics and tools as well as industry expertise. The team emphasized not only financial savings but also worked to increase regulatory compliance and sustainability to ensure that the benefits achieved through the project would have a lasting impact on the health system as well as the patients it serves.
