In the latest episode of our business-focused podcast 340B Leaders Upfront, host Anna Mangum sits down with two executive leaders at The Craneware Group: Chief Customer Officer Lidia Rodriguez-Hupp and Chief Transformation Officer Tara Hanuscak. Founded in 1999, The Craneware Group is a leading provider of healthcare financial performance and 340B management solutions, serving over 12,000 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

Key Topics Covered:

Pathways to 340B

Lidia and Tara describe their respective pathways to 340B and to The Craneware Group. Lidia outlines prior roles as a congressional aide and in various 340B provider service leadership positions. Tara outlines her 18 years rising through the ranks in pharmacy administration at OhioHealth and her leadership in 340B compliance and implementation.

 Trisus Optimization Suites

Tara outlines Trisus, The Craneware Group's SaaS-based cloud platform which includes four optimization suites designed to unify financial, clinical, and operational data into one ecosystem. She details how the platform comprehensively builds out the firm's flagship chargemaster solution.

Acquisitions and AI

Lidia and Tara describe The Craneware Group's acquisition of long-time 340B industry leader Sentry Data Systems and Agilum Healthcare, and how the integration of these platforms enables 340B hospitals to manage their costs, maximize compliance, and capture revenue in supporting sustainable margins for delivering patient care. Tara outlines the firm's moves in leveraging AI, including Trisus Assist, an assistive AI capability that pairs automation with transparency to support better, faster decisions across healthcare finance and operations.

Rebate Pilot Resource Center and Contract Pharmacy Restriction Tool

Lidia raises concerns about what she sees as the disruptive and harmful impact of the rebate pilot on 340B covered entities. She previews the firm's Rebate Pilot Resource Center which enables clients to help protect cash flow challenges due to rebate recovery delays and harnessing data and documentation to defend against denials. She also provides an overview of the firm's manufacturer restriction tool, a critically important resource since the firm has the largest number of contract pharmacy networks in 340B.

340B Matters Campaign and Advocate Awards

Lidia describes the firm's 340B Matters initiative, an informational campaign launched by Sentry in 2016 to be a candid, strong voice in promoting the 340B program's importance to the public and to policymakers.

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