At the 6 June Board of Directors meeting, I had the pleasure of introducing Melissa and Travis Bumgardner of abts Pharmacy and announced that we were finalizing an Agreement that would enable ABTS to open a
full-service pharmacy in Haxtun; tentatively in the Fall of 2012.  I am very pleased to announce that an Agreement has been finalized and work has begun to repurpose the present hospital lobby to accommodate
the pharmacy.
 
Beyond the benefits of bringing a much needed business/service to the community, the partnership between
HHD and abts enables both entities to participate in the 340b Drug Program.  The 340B Drug Program is a
federal program that requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible health care centers,
clinics, and hospitals (termed “covered entities”) at a reduced price, as described by Section 340B of the Public
Health Service Act, to provide financial relief to those facilities that provide care to the medically underserved.

The 340B Drug Program allows qualifying rural hospitals to buy outpatient drugs at reduced prices and benefit
from cost savings. The savings attributed to this program are especially important for safety net organizations
such as rural hospitals because they provide healthcare services to low income and other vulnerable
populations who otherwise may not be able to afford care.
The manager of the 340B program, The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),   indicates that
Participation in the 340B Drug Program results in significant savings, estimated to be 20% to 50% on the
cost of pharmaceuticals, for safety-net providers such as rural hospitals.  Moreover, HRSA states that the
purpose of the 340B Drug Program is to enable these entities to stretch scarce federal resources, reaching
more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.

abts Pharmacy will be open to the public and will function as a ‘typical’ pharmacy.  However, 340B pricing will
only be available to eligible individuals/patients as described below: 
An individual is a "patient" of a covered entity and ‘eligible’ for 340B pricing only if:

• The covered entity has established a relationship with the individual, such that the covered entity
  maintains records of the individual's health care; and
• The individual receives health care services from a health care professional who is either employed by
  the covered entity or provides health care under contractual or other arrangements (e.g. referral for
  consultation) such that responsibility for the care provided remains with the covered entity; and
  
• The individual receives a health care service or range of services from the covered entity which is
  consistent with the service or range of services for which grant funding has been provided to the
  entity.

Pharmacy hours are planned to coincide closely with the clinic’s hours:  Monday through Friday from 9am to
5pm and Saturday from 9am to 12:30pm. abts can be contacted at 774-DRUG (3784).  Acute medications
will continue to be available at HHD via Instymeds on a 24 hour a day/7 day a week basis. 

HHD’s ability to enable a partnership with abts pharmacy demonstrates that the hospital plays a key role in
Haxtun’s physical and economic vitality.  The benefits of this relationship are far-reaching and significant to the
short and long-term physical and economic health and well-being of the community.      -Don Burris, CEO