October 8, 2019— When the health professionals at Kootenai Health send a patient home, one of their main goals is not to see that patient back in the hospital again any time soon. That’s why the 299-bed medical center in rural northern Idaho utilizes its 340B savings to ensure that discharged patients obtain the medications they need to stay healthy at home, especially if they … [Read more...]
Our Message to CMS: End the Medicare 340B Cuts Now
Sept. 30, 2019– Since 2018, Medicare payment cuts to many 340B hospitals have reduced the already limited resources that hospitals rely on to care for their patients living with low incomes. With the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposing to continue those reductions into 2020, 340B Health is calling on the agency to end the cuts now and fully pay back … [Read more...]
Meet Some of the Champions of 340B
Sept. 26, 2019— When one discusses the 340B drug pricing program, the talk often turns to complex compliance and implementation issues such as actual acquisition prices, split billing software, and penny pricing. But it’s important to remember that there also are dedicated people working with all this complexity to make the program a success in helping patients. We recently … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Meeting Regional Health Challenges
September 19, 2019— Jefferson County in southeast Arkansas has its share of health problems that include higher-than-average rates of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. But this predominantly rural community faces additional challenges that stem from the socioeconomic status of its residents – challenges that the region’s safety-net hospital tackles with the help of the 340B … [Read more...]
Drug Pricing Looms Large on Capitol Hill This Fall
September 9, 2019– Congress is back in town this week after the end of its August recess, and lawmakers are gearing up for a busy fall with a major focus on how to slow down ever-increasing drug prices. The cost of prescription drugs is on the minds of members from both parties in Congress as well as members of the Trump administration. Before they left town, two Senate … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Making a Dent in Uncompensated Care
August 29, 2019— Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health is a small but vital health system serving some very rural areas of northern New Hampshire and Vermont. Despite its relatively remote region, the system is home to a renowned academic medical center, a cancer institute, and the only level 1 trauma center in New Hampshire. Through participation in the 340B drug discount program by … [Read more...]
340B Goes Back to School
August 23, 2019— When one considers the types of patients who benefit the most from the 340B drug pricing program, one might think first of adults with chronic illnesses who have low incomes or who live in rural areas. But many individuals who also rely on 340B as part of the health care safety net are some of the youngest patients among us. Part of the great power of 340B … [Read more...]