By Rob (Hoopi) Nahoopii, PharmD, MS, 340B ACE
SVP of Pharmacy Services | SpendMend
In 1967, the original Batman television series reached its 100th episode with “The Unkindest Tut of All.” The TV Show, Friends called its milestone “The One Hundredth.” Seinfeld celebrated with “Highlights of a Hundred,” while Dawson’s Creek used the occasion to consider just how far its characters had traveled.
Now, 340B Unscripted is joining that select club.
When we launched the podcast, our goal was to dive deeply into the complicated and sometimes contentious aspects of the 340B Drug Pricing Program. More importantly, we wanted to inform and inspire pharmacy professionals so they could better manage their 340B program and ultimately better serve their patients and communities.
One hundred episodes later, that mission remains at the center of every conversation.
Highlights of a Hundred
As I reflect upon our first 100 episodes, I am struck by how much the 340B landscape has changed, and how quickly covered entities have been asked to adapt.
We have explored HRSA audit readiness, annual recertification, patient definition, child-site eligibility, GPO Prohibition, and the operational complexities of maintaining a compliant 340B program. We have followed the expansion of manufacturer contract pharmacy restrictions, claims-level data requirements, and challenges involving access to 340B pricing.
We have examined major court decisions, state and federal legislation, congressional hearings, and evolving policies from HRSA and CMS. More recently, our conversations have addressed MFP refund reconciliation, drug acquisition cost surveys, CMS OPPS payment cuts, and the potential transition from upfront 340B discounts to increasingly complex rebate models.
The podcast has also ventured beyond regulation and compliance. We have discussed innovative pharmacy operations, alternate distribution models, pharmacotherapy clinic services, drug purchasing strategies, and new approaches that can help covered entities improve both their financial performance and patient care.
Along the way, healthcare attorneys, policy experts, advocates, pharmacists, and other leaders from across the 340B community have joined Rob “Hoopi” Nahoopii and Greg Wilson to provide perspectives from every side of the conversation. Some episodes have taken us deep into the history of the program; the “Morford Letter” may have come up a time or two. Others have responded almost immediately to a new court decision, policy announcement, or manufacturer action. Many have attempted to answer the question every covered entity faces: What does this development actually mean for our program, our operations, and our patients?
That practical, unscripted conversation has always been the heart of the show.
The Story Is Still Being Written
Episode 100 is an opportunity to celebrate, but it is hardly a finale.
If our first 100 episodes have demonstrated anything, it is that 340B never stands still. The next chapter will bring new regulations, technologies, reimbursement models, legal challenges, and operational demands. Covered entities will need to remain informed, prepared, and ready to respond.
We intend to continue the conversation, bringing together trusted experts, exploring emerging issues, and translating complex developments into practical insights for the people responsible for protecting and advancing the 340B mission.
So, same 340B time, same 340B channel.
Thank you to our hosts, our guests, and everyone who has listened, shared an episode, submitted a question, or suggested a topic. You have made 340B Unscripted an ongoing conversation with the broader 340B community, and we look forward to seeing where the next 100 episodes take us.
At SpendMend, we want to be your end-to-end 340B partner, for now, for tomorrow, and maybe even for the next 100 years.