A learning collaborative is an initiative in which teams of peers come together to study and apply quality improvement methodology to a focused topic area. First conceived by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in 1994, learning collaboratives help organizations apply known improvement principles to current health care practices with the goal of achieving “breakthrough improvements in quality while reducing costs.”

Advocates for Community Health (ACH) kicked off its largest learning collaborative yet, with 16 members from seven states, on November 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. At the top of mind was protecting the 340B Drug Discount Pricing Program, which provides a critically important revenue stream to community health centers serving more than 32 million patients across the nation.

Over the next six months, ACH’s 340B Learning Collaborative aims to:

• Share and implement best practices for managing the 340B program effectively and enable greater accountability and transparency around cost savings.
• Learn how to advocate for necessary policy changes and reforms to stabilize the 340B program by understanding current legislative proposals – such as 340C – and engaging with key policymakers.
• Build a network of peers and stakeholders within the 340B community to foster collaboration, share experiences, and enhance collective knowledge regarding program implementation and challenges.

On the first day of the in-person event, participants heard from experts on topics such as the state of reform efforts to the 340B program in Congress and likely outcomes, the current status and ongoing impact of state 340B legislation, and critical issues in the 340B program.

Unlike other covered entities under the 340B program, CHCs are required to reinvest any “program income,” including 340B savings, “to defray program costs” (29 CFR § 1470.25). Therefore, community health center 340B savings will always directly support expanding clinical services and improving patient care.

For CHCs, who already operate on tight budgets and with slim margins, the 340B program can be the deciding factor between cutting services and expanding them.

Kelli Pardee, MBA, CPhT, Pharmacy Business Director at Great Lakes Bay Health Centers, commented on her experience, “It was a great opportunity to learn from each other and to brainstorm ways to continue to advocate for the 340B program. “Take a look at the report that ACH did about 340B – it is a great overview of the program and why it is so important to us and our patients.”

On day two of the event, experts covered topics including best practices in 340B operations at a large health center and critical legal and regulatory issues in running 340B programs. Groups held breakout discussions focused on enacting ideas for change in their communities.

The 340B Learning Collaborative will wrap up in May 2025, with an additional four sessions planned.

To learn more about educational opportunities for ACH members, please contact us at info@advocatesforcommunityhealth.org.