March 22, 2010 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping health care reform plan on March 21 that expands and improves the 340B drug discount program but fails to extend it to the inpatient setting. The Monitor's sources on Capitol Hill say the 340B inpatient extension was removed from the Senate-approved bill at the 11th hour as a concession to the drug … [Read more...]
House Health Care Reform Bill Includes Major Changes to 340B
House Democratic leaders released what they hope is the final health care reform bill on March 18. The bill includes an expansion of 340B to new hospitals and many new enforcement and compliance rules.March 18, 2010 - House Democratic leaders released what they hope is the final health care reform bill on March 18. The House is scheduled to consider the bill this weekend. If the bill is approved, it will move to the Senate, where Senate leaders hope to pass and send it to the White House for President Obama's signature by the end of next week. The bill contains numerous … [Read more...]
Obama Administration Takes Some of the Bite out of Medicare Part D Clawbacks
The $4.3 billion reduction is expected to ease financial pressure on states. But whether that works to 340B participants' benefit remains to be seen.March 11, 2010 - The Obama administration has sliced $4.3 billion off the $17.5 billion that states owe the federal government for the costs Washington incurred when it took responsibility for the prescription drug expenses of state residents dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The move, announced in late February by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen … [Read more...]
Utah Struggling to Extend 340B Pricing to More Disease-Management Programs
Replicating the state's oft-cited drug-discount program for hemophiliacs is far from simple, state health officials tell lawmakers in a new report.March 9, 2010 - Expanding 340B drug pricing to Medicaid disease-management programs is proving to be tough, Utah health department officials say, but they are not giving up. In a late February report to the Utah Legislature, the state Department of Health describes the obstacles it has encountered implementing a 2008 law that could pave the way for extending Utah's … [Read more...]
Long-Awaited Contract Pharmacy Guidelines Published
The long-awaited 340B multiple contract pharmacy guidelines have been issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will be published in the March 5 Federal Register.March 4, 2010 - The long-awaited 340B multiple contract pharmacy guidelines have been issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will be published in the March 5 Federal Register. They will take effect on April 5. The guidelines will permit 340B covered entities to contract with more than one outpatient pharmacy or to have both an in-house … [Read more...]
GAO Weighs in on Group Purchasing Organizations’ Value to Hospitals
March 4, 2010 - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says it can identify just one peer-reviewed study conducted during the past five years that examines whether group purchasing organizations (GPOs) save hospitals and other health care providers money. That single study, however, a 2008 national opinion survey of hospital materials management executives, vindicates … [Read more...]
Number of Uninsured Soar at Nation’s Safety-Net Hospitals
Public hospitals and other providers that care for the poor and uninsured have seen uncompensated care costs shoot through the roof. Some have reported as much as $16 million in losses, a new survey shows.February 26 , 2010 - Since the current economic recession began in December 2007, providers that care for the nation's most vulnerable patients have seen a 23-percent increase in those who lack health insurance – and many institutions are nearing a financial breaking point, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems reported this week. The association, … [Read more...]