March 9, 2012—Hospital senior executives responsible for their institution's enrollment in the 340B program will receive an email from the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) on either April 9 or April 23 containing the username, password, and instructions they will need to personally recertify that their hospital and all of its registered outpatient sites are eligible for the … [Read more...]
Influential Lawmakers Request Documents from 340B Stakeholders
Hospitals, prime vendor, and manufacturers asked to answer questions by March 15March 7, 2012—Four influential members of Congress have asked Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA), Apexus, Inc., which operates the 340B Prime Vendor Program (PVP), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) for a wide range of documents about their involvement in the 340B program. The … [Read more...]
340B Hospitals Ask FTC to Oppose Express Scripts/Medco Merger
Mega-PBM would undermine safety-net care and limit access to specialty drugs, they sayFebruary 24, 2012—Hospitals enrolled in the 340B drug discount program asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) yesterday to challenge the merger of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) Express Scripts Inc. (ESI) and Medco Health Solutions, saying the union of the two health care giants would undermine their safety-net mission and further reduce their access to specialty … [Read more...]
HRSA Administrator Issues Letter Outlining 340B Integrity Efforts
Activities focus mainly on ensuring covered entities' compliance with program requirementsFebruary 22, 2012—The head of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has written an open letter to 340B stakeholders describing actions both underway and in the works at her agency "to eliminate improper payments and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse" in the drug discount program. "Two of the most important responsibilities we have are to ensure … [Read more...]
Proposed Medicaid Drug Pricing Rule Has Implications for 340B
A Drug Discount Monitor News AnalysisFebruary 17, 2012—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) long-awaited proposed rule to implement health care reform's changes to the Medicaid drug rebate program would continue policies put in place late last year that have likely resulted in higher 340B prices for most covered outpatient drugs but lower 340B prices for the smaller class of so-called "5i" … [Read more...]
340B Providers to Receive Refunds from Dava Pharmaceuticals
Payments for overcharges will total $185,557February 15, 2012—Dava Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay 340B covered entities $185,557 as part of a settlement with the federal government and a whistleblower over charges that it violated the federal False Claims Act by misreporting drug prices in order to reduce its Medicaid drug rebate and 340B drug discount obligations. According to the Jan. 24 settlement, which the … [Read more...]
Obama Seeks 340B User Fee as High as 0.5 Percent
President's budget envisions funding OPA exclusively with fee revenue beginning fiscal 2014February 14, 2012—The Obama administration yesterday proposed giving the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) the ability sometime after Oct. 1, 2013 to collect a fee of up to 0.5 percent, or 5 cents on every $10, on every 340B drug purchase in order to completely end line-item funding for the Office of Pharmacy Affairs' (OPA). The proposal was included in the … [Read more...]