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Every day, hospitals go above and beyond for their patients. Take the case of a critically ill patient who received 47 days of care at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria for a serious brain infection. The patient had no insurance, so the hospital’s care team coordinated a Medicaid application.

At discharge, the patient needed antibiotics and antiviral drugs costing $16,000 for self-pay, which the hospital could offer for $12,000 through the federal 340B program. It was still beyond the patient’s means, so the hospital secured a donor to cover the cost.

While hospitals are working to ensure the best possible patient outcomes, pharmaceutical companies are devising ways to limit the positive impact of the 340B program, which was created to increase access to care and enhance healthcare services for uninsured and low-income patients.

In just one year, OSF HealthCare experienced a 31% decrease in drug discount savings because of drugmaker restrictions, such as limiting hospitals to only one contract pharmacy within a defined mileage radius. “The reduction in revenue directly impacts our ability to consistently fund programs aimed at improving access to healthcare in our rural communities or fund patient assistance programs,” the health system said.

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