For more than three decades, the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program has required drug manufacturers to provide outpatient medicine to healthcare organizations and covered entities at reduced prices.

For nearly as long, the 340B Program has faced scrutiny from various stakeholders, each arguing that the program is too broad, not broad enough, allows too many contract pharmacies, lacks transparency, maintains an outdated sliding-fee scale that only applies to certain entity types, or continues to struggle with issues such as duplicate discounts.

Why is there still a significant gap in transparency that prevents stakeholders from fully understanding who benefits, whether it’s patients, pharmacy benefit managers, chain drug stores, wholesalers, insurers, employers, or the covered entities themselves? “The necessity for greater transparency cannot be overstressed,” Lewis added.“ It is the cornerstone of accountability and fairness within the 340B Program, and it is crucial for all stakeholders to feel this.”