May 23, 2014—A federal district judge ruled today that the Department of Health and Human Services has no authority under the 340B statute to promulgate regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act's 340B orphan drug exclusion, which applies to hospitals registered in 340B as critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals, rural referral centers, and free-standing … [Read more...]
340B Comes Up During House Hearing on Medicare Payments
Lawmakers' questions echo drugmakers' and private oncologists' complaintsMay 22, 2014—Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) voiced concerns about the 340B program during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing yesterday on Medicare payment reform. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] The three lawmakers' observations and questions about 340B echoed positions taken by the drug industry and private … [Read more...]
Standing Up for 340B in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee
People struggling to get by in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee are receiving vital health services thanks to their local hospitals' access to 340B drug discounts, a cancer physician and hospital leader write in in their local newspapers. "The 340B program is working exactly as it was intended by giving patients who need lifesaving care an opportunity to receive it at … [Read more...]
HRSA on Track to Accept Bids to Run 340B Prime Vendor in June
Proposal that "offers the best value" to providers will be chosen, it saysMay 21, 2014—The Health Resources and Services Administration has taken the first step toward soliciting proposals to operate the 340B Prime Vendor Program. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] Apexus, a nonprofit subsidiary of the group purchasing organization Provista, has been managing PVP since September 2009 under a two-year base contract with three option years. It has been … [Read more...]
340B Hospitals Are Major Providers of Uncompensated Care
The policy journal Health Affairs has published a new study that found that hospitals provide 60 percent of all the uncompensated care in America. Hospitals in the 340B program provide a hefty chunk of this benefit. The American Hospital Association recently reported that 340B hospitals account for around 60 percent of the uncompensated care that hospitals provide. That works … [Read more...]
Study: Hospitals Pay for 60 Percent of Uncompensated Care
Second study finds cost of cancer drugs is skyrocketingMay 14, 2014—Hospitals shoulder roughly 60 percent of the cost of uncompensated health care in America, more than four times the share borne by private office-based practices, Urban Institute researchers report in the latest edition of Health Affairs. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] The study, part of a themed issue on uncertainties faced by hospitals and their medical … [Read more...]
HRSA Releases 340B Audit Statistics
Analysis covers the 51 audits conducted in fiscal 2012May 9, 2014—The Health Resources and Services Administration has published a brief statistical analysis of findings from its first round of 340B covered entity audits. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] HRSA notified stakeholders about the release via email and through a notice on the Office of Pharmacy Affairs webpage. "We wanted to give you a sense of some of the lessons we … [Read more...]