U.S. hospitals provided a record-high $45.9 billion in unreimbursed care to indigent and underinsured patients in 2012, an 11.7 percent increase over 2011, according to a new American Hospital Association (AHA) report. The uncompensated care total includes charity care and bad debt but excludes Medicaid and Medicare underpayment. 340B hospitals provide 62 percent of all … [Read more...]
Merck Announces 340B Refunds
Drugs Range from Remeron to FollistimPharmaceutical manufacturer Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. has announced it will give refunds to 340B providers that bought certain products between 2002 and 2013. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] The refunds are a result of a recently recalculated Average Manufacturer Price and Best Price values. The items eligible for refunds include Remeron, Desogen, Implanaon, NuvaRing, … [Read more...]
Hospitals Ask Court to Uphold Orphan Drug Rule
Support Broader Use Under 340BOrganizations representing safety-net healthcare providers filed a friend-of-the-court brief Dec. 20 supporting a Department Health and Human Services (HHS) rule that allows many of their members to receive discounted pricing on “orphan” drugs when not used to treat rare diseases. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA), … [Read more...]
Limited Drug Coverage Under ACA Underscores Importance of 340B
Americans taking high-cost medications are finding that mid- to lower-tier health plans offered through the new insurance exchanges often don’t cover their prescriptions adequately. Many could end up underinsured, making the 340B program even more critical to keeping them healthy. Critics contend that insurance carriers are purposefully designing plans with weak pharmacy … [Read more...]
Orphan Drug Case Heats Up
Hospitals and other providers weighing in against PhRMAA flutter of briefs is landing at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as hospitals square off against the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to limit sales of discounted orphan drugs to 340B providers.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] The American Hospital Association recently filed an amicus brief in favor of a federal rule allowing 340B hospitals to buy orphan … [Read more...]
340B Provider Audits from First Year Nearly Complete
Pedley gives program status report to stakeholders at Orlando meetingDecember 17, 2013—The federal office that oversees the 340B program "is close" to closing the last two audits of health care providers it conducted in fiscal year 2012, Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) Director Cmdr. Krista Pedley told 340B stakeholders in Orlando last week.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] Pedley was the featured speaker during the 340B Federal Update session … [Read more...]
Medicaid Drug Pricing Final Rule Now Slated for May
Third postponement for average manufacturer price regulationDecember 9, 2013—The federal government is yet again postponing final regulations for the calculation of a drug's average manufacture price (AMP) under the Medicaid drug rebate program. [ms-protect-content id="2799"] AMP is one of the main determinants of a drug's 340B ceiling price. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which reviews all federal agency regulations … [Read more...]