" We ' ve had a handful of patients say, ' If you can ' t do it here, I ' m not doing it,'" Holcomb said. She credits the federal 340B drug discount program for enabling the remote hospital to provide infusion drugs.
Hospitals that qualify for 340B can buy outpatient drugs at steep discounts. The program provides " a huge kickstand for rural hospitals," said Topchik, of Chartis Center. Hospitals can use the savings to buoy or expand services provided to the community, he said.
But some patients are not daunted by long drives and travel costs.
Fred Hardwicke, an oncologist, reviews medical notes with Dennis and Mary Ellen Woodward. Dennis has a type of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. Charlotte Huff for KFF Health News
" I ' m from the country, so small is better— it ' s just more personable," said Dennis Woodward, 69, who lives in Woodson, Texas. He has a type of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and chooses to make a two‐