June 5, 2012—Illinois is set to become the first state to require all of its 340B-eligible health care providers to participate in the federal drug discount program and then pass along to the state nearly all of their savings on 340B drugs administered or dispensed to Medicaid patients. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will sign S.B. 2840, which state lawmakers sent to him on May … [Read more...]
340B Program Integrity Inquiry Continues
Members of Congress raise questions about a health system's and hospital's use of drug discountsMay 29, 2012—Members of Congress concerned about 340B oversight and program integrity are continuing their inquiries, turning their attention to a Georgia health system and an Alabama hospital. Two members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health recently sent a letter to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) asking it to audit … [Read more...]
OPA Publishes Two New Policy Releases
Updates non-discrimination policy and clarifies 340B eligibility within ACOsMay 25, 2012—The Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) posted two new policy releases on its Web site yesterday. The first is an update to OPA’s non-discrimination policy requiring drug manufacturers to treat 340B providers the same as non-340B providers when manufacturers develop alternate allocation systems for drugs in short supply. OPA had issued a policy release on its … [Read more...]
Welcome to the New & Improved Drug Discount Monitor
Important information about resetting your password and our new featuresMay 24, 2012—Today we're re-launching the Drug Discount Monitor with a new look and new features to enhance your reading experience. You'll now be able to get instant email alerts whenever we publish new articles, subscribe to a Monitor news feed, follow us on Twitter, and do keyword searches of our previous stories dating back to February 2009. To access our improved Web site, … [Read more...]
CMS Reviewing Comments on Medicaid Drug Pricing Proposed Rule
Providers and drug manufacturers weigh in on 340B-specific issuesMay 22, 2012—Regulations implementing health care reform's Medicaid drug rebate provisions should encourage "shared savings" arrangements between 340B covered entities and Medicaid agencies, provider groups urged in comments filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Drug manufacturers, meanwhile, asked CMS to exempt any prices charged to 340B covered … [Read more...]
HRSA Takes First Step in Re-Competing PSSC Contract
Agreement will be for one base year plus four optional yearsMay 4, 2012—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has taken the first step in the process of selecting a contractor to operate the Pharmacy Services Support Center (PSSC) for what likely will be the next five years. On Feb. 24, HRSA posted a "sources sought" notice on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site inviting interested small businesses to … [Read more...]
340B Recertification Includes Strong Compliance Pledge
OPA director fields manufacturers' and wholesalers' questions during webinarMay 2, 2012—A new program-integrity oath that hospitals must take to remain certified for 340B drug discounts has "the strongest language" about compliance that they have ever been asked to sign, the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) official leading its hospital recertification initiative said last week during a webinar for drug manufacturers and wholesalers. "This is very … [Read more...]