August 19, 2013—A Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report recommending a nearly two-thirds cut in the number of critical access hospitals (CAHs) would "kill rural health care," the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) says.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] About 870 of the nation's 1,329 CAHs participate in the 340B drug … [Read more...]
340B Hospital Recertification to Begin on Aug. 19
Rural and cancer hospitals will have to declare how they will buy orphan drugsAugust 14, 2013—Rural and cancer hospitals will get their first hands-on experience complying with the new 340B orphan drug exclusion regulation beginning next Monday, the start of the four-week period during which they and all other 340B hospitals must recertify their eligibility for the drug discount program.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] The second annual recertification … [Read more...]
113 Members of Congress Take a Stand for 340B
With the 340B program taking punches from the drug industry almost daily, a bipartisan group of 84 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 29 Members of the U.S. Senate have placed themselves right in the program's corner. The letters were spearheaded by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Kathy Castor … [Read more...]
113 Members of Congress Sign Letters Supporting 340B
Savings enable hospitals to expand services, serve more patients, and offset losses, they sayAugust 9, 2013—More than 100 members of Congress (84 representatives and 29 senators) have signed letters to leaders of their respective chambers expressing their "bipartisan support" for the 340B drug discount program.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] In Aug. 2 letters to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (House version) and to … [Read more...]
Senator Hatch Criticizes 340B Orphan Drug Exclusion Rule
HRSA interpreted law incorrectly, he tells Administrator Wakefield in letterAugust 2, 2013—Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has sent a letter to HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield saying the agency's 340B orphan drug exclusion final regulation is "incorrectly interpreting the law" and diminishes incentives for orphan drug development.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] A HRSA spokesperson said the agency "is in receipt of the letter from Senator Hatch and we … [Read more...]
Senator Grassley Questions Walgreens About Its Participation in 340B
Seeks information about its role as a contract pharmacyAugust 1, 2013—Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter yesterday to Walgreens requesting detailed information about its participation in the 340B program as a contract pharmacy, including its financial arrangements with covered entities.[ms-protect-content id="2799"] In the letter, Senator Grassley says "the intent and design of the [340B] program is to help lower … [Read more...]
Our Response to the Drug Industry 340B White Paper
We recently released a comprehensive 27-page report that corrects misunderstandings about the 340B drug discount program promoted by the pharmaceutical industry. That report addresses misconceptions and unfounded accusations of the program. It also calls for a number of ways to modernize the 340B program. Now, as a follow-up, we are focusing narrowly on the unfounded … [Read more...]