April 16, 2014—The chairman and four members of the Senate Select Committee on Aging are urging the White House budget chief—who also is President Obama's choice to be the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services—to uphold the "original core tenet" that the 340B program's purpose is "to help safety net providers reach more patients and provide more comprehensive … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2014
The Anti-340B Lobby and Rising Medicare Costs
Expensive physician-administered biologic drugs for cancer and other diseases are helping to drive the cost of Medicare higher and higher, newspaper analyses of newly released Medicare billing data show. We note this with interest because biopharmaceutical companies that make these drugs, private cancer doctors who collect significant sums billing Medicare for them, and major … [Read more...]
HRSA Revises 340B Hospital Registration Instructions
Also outlines its process for reviewing hospitals' eligibilityApril 9, 2014—The Health Resources and Services Administration said yesterday that it has revised the instructions hospitals must follow to enroll themselves or their outpatient facilities in the 340B drug discount program. HRSA simultaneously published an outline of its process for ensuring that each applicant meets all requirements before it is deemed eligible. … [Read more...]
OMB Is Reviewing 340B Mega-Reg
Signs point to publication in early JulyApril 9, 2014—The Health Resources and Services Administration has sent its proposed 340B "mega-reg" to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review prior to its publication in the Federal Register, according to a notation today on the OMB website. … [Read more...]
HRSA Setting 60-Day Comment Period for 340B Mega-Reg
Agency would consider letting drugmakers audit providers at random, Pedley saysApril 2, 2014—Stakeholders will have 60 days to comment on the proposed 340B "mega-reg" that is still on track to be published in June, Office of Pharmacy Affairs Director Cmdr. Krista Pedley said at a drug industry conference last week. … [Read more...]