340B Program
Our 340B Story
Ridgecrest Regional Hospital is eligible to participate in the 340B program because it is a safety-net hospital serving approximately 40,000 high desert residents and workers at China Lake Naval Weapons Center living 93 miles distant to another hospital. The hospital is a nonprofit, full service, acute care hospital and accredited by DNV Healthcare.
The hospital is a 196 bed facility, including 25 inpatient and 125 Skilled Nursing Facility beds. Its outpatient services offer primary and specialty care to a highly diverse patient population. RRH was awarded the ACR gold seal of accreditation in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, and installed FDA-approved state-of-the-art automated breast screening ultrasound technology clinically proven to increase cancer detection by 35.7 percent. The Emergency Department has been designated by Kern County Public Health as a Level IV trauma center providing stabilization and advanced trauma life support.
Benefits of the 340B Program
Savings from participating in the 340B Program affords patients the high quality of care they deserve, no matter their income level or insurance coverage. The cost savings from reduced drug pricing represent a key factor in the continuum of care, enabling a rural safety-net hospital to provide an array of needed treatments and services, including:
- The 340B program allowed partnering with Kern County to build a crisis stabilization unit for acute mental health issues as the nearest facility is over two hours away.
- The 340B program allowed subsidizing children's dental services after the community college and county could no longer fund the program.
- The 340B program allowed the hospital to take over the community senior services program when the previous organization ran out of funds. The program supports senior independence with information, assistance, case management, and homemaker services.
- The 340B program allowed the hospital to launch a school-based mobile health program targeting underserved children without transportation attending school nine miles away from healthcare services.
- Supports Oncology Care Coordination to ensure residents get the care they need because the hospital can no longer provide it locally.
340B by the Numbers for Fiscal Year 2022
- $1,680,108– amount of savings from the 340B program
- $12,655,176 – uncompensated care (charity care and bad debt, excluding Medicare)
- $11,002,317 – Medi-Cal unreimbursed costs
- 27% - Medi-Cal patient load
- 93 miles distance to closest hospital
Impact if 340B is Scaled Back
The 340B drug program is a vital lifeline for a safety-net provider, supporting critical health services. The program is paid for with drug discounts and not taxpayer dollars. When 340B savings safety net hospitals, the result is scaling back services and physician outreach. This would result in increased travel burden for patients with chronic health conditions and increased transportation costs for lower-income/uninsured patients to drive long distances to needed services.
