November 12, 2010—A member of a new federal commission that will be advising Congress on Medicaid access and payment policies has suggested that it look into how state Medicaid programs might share 340B savings with safety-net providers enrolled in the outpatient drug discount program. Richard Chambers, the chief executive of a California managed care organization (MCO) and … [Read more...]
HRSA Patient Safety Teams Receive Awards
Groups have been working to reduce medication errors and improve patient outcomes.November 11, 2010—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has bestowed awards on multiple health care teams across the country for their achievements in the agency's Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC). Now in its third year, PSPC's mission is to improve health care outcomes by integrating evidence-based clinical pharmacy … [Read more...]
CMS OK’s Maine’s Method of Billing Medicaid for Physician-Administered Drugs
Federal approval could pave the way for model's adoption by other states.November 10, 2010—Federal health officials have given Maine's Medicaid agency the go-ahead to exempt all but a handful of the state's hospitals from reporting National Drug Codes (NDCs) for physician-administered outpatient drugs. Under the arrangement, none of the state's 340B hospitals is required to change billing and payment for such drugs. The decision, which the … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Santa Clara Case on Jan. 19
Decision on 340B providers' right to sue manufacturers is expected by early July.November 9, 2010—The U.S. Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will hear arguments on Jan. 19 in a pivotal 340B lawsuit on whether 340B providers have the right to sue drug manufacturers for alleged overcharges. The High Court agreed in late September to review a federal appellate court decision recognizing covered entities' right to sue. The case is Astra v. Santa … [Read more...]
Midterm Elections Muddle the Picture for 340B
GOP takes control of the House promising to roll back health care reform.November 9, 2010—The Republican takeover of the U.S. House last week could slow down efforts to expand 340B discounts to the inpatient setting. Its effect, however, on efforts to reverse a provision in reform barring newly eligible 340B hospitals from buying orphan drugs at 340B-discounted prices is less clear. As of Nov. 9, the GOP had 239 seats in the House to the … [Read more...]
BMS Says It Is “Required” to Pay Retroactive 340B Discounts
Confusion mounts over HRSA's decision that back payments aren't available.October 26, 2010—Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) says it is "required" to extend 340B discounts retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year to rural and children's hospitals that have enrolled in the drug discount program under health care reform. The drug manufacturer made the announcement in its third quarter earnings report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). … [Read more...]
No Retroactive Discounts for New 340B Providers, HRSA Says
Position seems to mark a reversal from previous stances in 1993 and 2009.October 21, 2010—Newly eligible rural, children's and free-standing cancer hospitals that enroll in the 340B drug discount program are ineligible for retroactive rebates on purchases dating back to the start of this year, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) says on its Web site despite the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Jan. 1, 2010 effective date for the … [Read more...]