December 1 , 2009 - The Drug Discount Monitor is now producing an enhanced print edition four times a year. It's replacing our old monthly edition. Click here to view the December issue of the newsletter. And let us know if you want to receive the quarterly print edition by mail for a small additional fee. … [Read more...]
AIDS Group Sues California for Targeting 340B Providers for Medi-Cal Cuts
A new California law banning Medicaid carve-outs illegally discriminates against 340B providers, a California AIDS group alleges. AHF's Nov. 9 lawsuit is the first to challenge state carve-out prohibitions.November 17, 2009 - The AIDS Healthcare Foundation in California has sued the state over a new law that drastically cuts Medi-Cal reimbursements for safety-net providers in favor of large, national, for-profit pharmacy chains.qwe The AIDS Healthcare Foundation Central District of California, Western Division (AHF) filed its Nov. 9 complaint against the California Department … [Read more...]
Scaled-Back 340B Reform Passes House; Debate in Senate Next
The U.S. House of Representatives stripped out health reform language that would extend the 340b program to the inpatient setting, but advocates of the measure are fighting back. Safety-net hospitals say the extension would save their systems millions.November 17, 2009 - With the U.S. Senate poised to begin debate on health care reform, advocates of the 340B drug discount program are trying to regroup after the House leadership unexpectedly removed a long-sought extension of the program to the inpatient setting.a On Nov. 7, the House passed its health care reform legislation to provide access to health care for most of … [Read more...]
DSH Hospitals Lag in Health IT for Prescription Drugs
As the government gears up to spend $30 billion on health IT, researchers worry that hospitals with a large indigent patient population may fall behind. There's evidence of an emerging digital divide, study says.November 17, 2009 - Hospitals serving a high number of Medicaid and underinsured patients are less likely to adopt health IT technology, including systems for managing prescription drugs, than hospitals with a smaller indigent population, says a new study published in the October issue of Health Affairs. So-called disproportionate-share hospitals (DSH), also exhibit lower … [Read more...]
340B Advocates Face Surprise Setback in the House
Legislation to extend the 340B drug discount to the inpatient side was close to the finishing line when, somehow, it was dropped from the House health reform bill. But there's still hope, advocates say.November 5, 2009 - Advocates for safety-net hospitals were stunned to learn last week that the House of Representatives had unexpectedly eliminated language from its health care reform bill that would extend 340B discounts to inpatient drugs. While the expansion of the program to thousands of new health care facilities and programs did make the bill, the much-anticipated … [Read more...]
H1N1 Puts Pressure on 340B Providers, but New Treatments Coming
As the H1N1 virus continues to claim victims, pressure is mounting on the government to make more vaccines and treatments available, and less costly for hospitals fighting the nasty flu.November 2, 2009 - As H1N1 flu continues to spread and claim victims nationwide, there's growing pressure on the federal government to make vaccines and treatments for the nasty virus available — and more affordable. Last month, Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA) sent a letter to the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA), asking the agency to make tamiflu and … [Read more...]
AWP Re-Calculation Will Squeeze 340B Margins
First Data Bank and Medi-Span are reducing average wholesale acquisition pricing data for 7,000-some drugs under a recent court settlement. It could cost pharmacies dearly.October 26, 2009 - Pharmacies nationwide, including those participating in the 340B program, expect to see their margins shrink with the settlement of two federal court cases involving First Data Bank and Medi-Span. The pharmaceutical drug price publishers were accused of having inflated prices on hundreds of drugs for more than four years. Under the settlement between the … [Read more...]