At the March 26 Greenwood County Hospital (GWCH) board of trustees meeting, Pharmacist Isaac Boone gave an educational presentation about the 340B discount drug program and Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform. The 340B Drug Discount Program, a federal initiative, allows certain hospitals and healthcare organizations to purchase outpatient drugs at discounted prices, enabling them to stretch limited resources and serve more patients, particularly those who are low-income or uninsured. A PBM is a third-party administrator in healthcare that acts as an intermediary between insurance plans, pharmacies, and drug manufacturers to manage prescription drug benefits. PBM reform in Kansas, primarily enacted through the bipartisan Senate Bill 360 (Kansas Consumer Prescription Protection and Accountability Act) in March 2026, regulates PBMs to lower drug costs and increase transparency.
Boone described how 340B functions, spoke about specific patient eligibility, and explained that eligibility can change depending on whether the patient is considered inpatient, outpatient, or a referral patient. Boone also described the situation currently happening in the Kansas House of Representatives with regard to 340B. Recently, pharmaceutical companies have been attempting to limit hospitals to one contract pharmacy. Boone explained that this has a direct effect on patients of Howard Clinic, a part of the GWCH system. With the one-contract pharmacy limitation, Batson’s Pharmacy in Howard can’t access 340B discounts; thus, patients must travel to Eureka Pharmacy to receive the discounts.
