Kudos to Executive Insight staff writer Michael Jones for his moving profile of Shannon Williams, an uninsured Mississippi woman with cancer who received lifesaving charity care from Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville, Ala., made possible by the hospital's participation in 340B. She originally received treatment from the hospital in 2006 when she had health insurance and … [Read more...]
340B Duplicate Discounts a Hot Topic at Drug Industry Conference
Medicaid expansion and move away from fee-for-service toward managed care cited as reasonsSeptember 24, 2014—Medicaid expansion in general and Medicaid managed care growth in particular have drug manufacturers concentrating on 340B duplicate discounts as never before. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] That was one of the big takeaways from the annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit in Chicago last week. MDRP is a major annual drug industry meeting on Medicaid … [Read more...]
OIG Says Drugmakers’ Coupons May Be Skewing Part D Drug Purchases
Special bulletin reminds companies about potential liability under anti-kickback statuteSeptember 24, 2014—Pharmaceutical manufacturers’ current safeguards may not prevent all copayment coupons from being used for drugs paid for by Medicare Part D, the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General says in a new report. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] In an accompanying special advisory bulletin, the OIG reminds drugmakers that they may be liable … [Read more...]
Congress Level-Funds 340B Program Through Dec. 11
Lawmakers pass bill to keep government open until after the November electionsSeptember 22, 2014—Congress passed and President Obama signed a bill late last week to keep the federal government open through Dec. 11. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] Called a continuing resolution, lawmakers needed to pass it because they have approved no regular appropriations bills for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. If they hadn't acted, the government would have … [Read more...]
Price of World’s Top 3 Cancer Drugs Seen Rising for 340B and Other Hospitals
Genentech shifts Rituxan, Avastin, and Herceptin to specialty distributorsSeptember 19, 2014—Hospitals across America will begin paying more for the world's three top-selling cancer drugs starting Oct. 1 due to manufacturer Genentech's decision to move them into the specialty distribution channel, according to multiple hospital stakeholders. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] 340B hospitals and health systems, in particular, are concerned that the shift … [Read more...]
Health Affairs Explores Reasons for Drug Shortages
Manufacturing disruptions are one of the most frequently cited causes, it observesSeptember 19, 2014—Manufacturing disruptions are one of the most cited reasons for generic sterile injectable drug shortages, the journal Health Affairs reports in a new policy brief. Common problems include the inability to obtain raw materials from foreign sources, discovering quality issues such as foreign particulate in the product, or prolonged efforts to upgrade and … [Read more...]
340B Essential for Hospital Oncology Practices
Two leading oncologists detail the importance of the 340B program in the inaugural issue of Oncology Payers. In the article, Robert Chapman, M.D. and William Wood tout the benefits of the program stating, “From the inner city of Detroit to the small towns of Michigan and Kentucky, the program provides an invaluable mechanism for the delivery of quality cancer care as well as … [Read more...]