April 22, 2011— The federal contractor that runs the Office of Pharmacy Affairs' (OPA) recently downsized technical assistance center has begun offering 340B stakeholders its own suite of paid consulting services. The new 340B IQ Institute is a branch of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), which has been the sole contractor for OPA's Pharmacy Services Support Center … [Read more...]
New Standards Will Make it Easier to Flag Prescriptions’ 340B Status
Providers worry that the change also might make it easier to cut their reimbursement.April 19, 2011—Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and third-party payers will soon be able to flag prescriptions filled with 340B discounted drugs more easily due to new claims submission standards developed by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). Although the change is expected to please PBMs and payers, hospitals and others that depend on 340B savings … [Read more...]
U.S. House Passes 2012 Budget With Medicaid Block Grants
Vote capped off week dominated by debate over deficit reduction.April 18, 2011—The Republican-led U.S. House approved a fiscal year 2012 budget late last week that would turn Medicaid into a block grant system, a proposal that has the potential to undermine the 340B drug discount program. The April 15 vote came a day after final passage of legislation that keeps the government open through Sept. 30 but reduces total federal spending by … [Read more...]
Companies Limiting Sales of Three Drugs in High Demand
OPA publishes distribution plans' details on its Web site.April 7, 2011—The manufacturers of the oral contraceptive Yaz and the oncology medicine Gemzar have notified the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) that they are limiting the drugs' availability to all customers because both products have become subject to the 340B program's "penny pricing" policy. Yaz is made by Bayer HealthCare and Gemzar by Eli Lilly and Co. AstraZeneca, … [Read more...]
OPA Gets a New Mission Statement
Job description is updated for the first time since 2004.April 6, 2011—The Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) has a new mission statement. In a notice published in the April 4 Federal Register , the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) formally defines what OPA is and does. The document, called a "statement of organization, functions and delegations of authority," was last updated in 2004. That version's section on … [Read more...]
House GOP Proposes Medicaid Block Grants
Move could imperil 340B program.April 6, 2011—U.S. House Republicans yesterday proposed converting the federal share of Medicaid spending into block grants to states, a move that could potentially imperil the 340B drug discount program. The plan, one of the main elements in the fiscal 2012 budget resolution issued by the House Budget Committee on April 5, is expected to face stiff opposition from President … [Read more...]
Drug Shortages Costing Hospitals $200 Million, Study Finds
Problem that exploded last year persists into 2011 and could be getting worse.April 1, 2011— Prescription drug shortages are forcing hospitals to spend an extra $200 million a year on more expensive substitutes and exposing patients to greater risk of medication errors, a leading group purchasing organization (GPO) reports. According to the study by the Premier health care alliance , providers are spending an extra 11 percent more on average for … [Read more...]