Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital 340B Benefits

FY23 savings: $4,858,613

Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital is a member of Northern Light Health, and as a member, we are committed to building a better healthcare system for all the people of Maine. Our mission is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve. Participation in the 340B program helps us to provide comprehensive healthcare services and life-saving prescriptions to our community. 

As a 340B hospital, we purchase medications for qualified patients at a reduced rate from drug companies. The savings are reinvested in services and programs that benefit the patients we serve. While some services are covered by insurance, Medicare and MaineCare reimburse us at a payment rate far below the actual cost to provide care. Other services provide significant benefit to our patients but are not covered by any insurance program. 

Please see a list below of some of the benefits provided to our community through this program.

340B Program Benefits

Rural Access 
The geography of the service area is widely spread, including remote peninsulas and islands with pockets of the population struggling with poverty, transportation challenges, chronic disease, and healthcare literacy barriers. The hospital operates small primary care clinics in Southwest Harbor and Gouldsboro to keep care “closer to home” and remove common barriers to access in remote areas. A full-time financial counselor is onsite at the hospital to ensure our patients have easy access to help with financial assistance applications, enrolling in the insurance exchange, filling out Medicaid applications, and questions with billing.

Collaborations with Community Partners
340B funds are also helping to fund vital community partnerships and collaborations. Working together with local organizations with health and wellness related missions, such as Health Acadia, Hospice Organizations, Downeast Treatment Center, Good Shepherd Food Bank, Restored Hope, the hospital can participate in and support more community education and outreach programming, community health services, and public health initiatives. Specifically, support and funding for the Downeast Treatment Center has been a critical focus as the hospital strives to play an active role in combating the opioid crisis and substance use disorders.