June 12, 2015—About a dozen HIV/AIDS activists demonstrated yesterday on the sidewalk outside the downtown Washington government building where the second National Leadership Summit on 340B was held. The meeting was organized by the Alliance for Integrity and Reform of 340B, a drug industry-led group that believes the 340B program needs major reform. AIDS Healthcare Foundation, … [Read more...]
Congresswoman Addresses AIR 340B Summit
Says she looks forward to HRSA's omnibus guidance and input from stakeholdersJune 11, 2015—A member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee said at a drug industry organized "summit" today she hopes that forthcoming 340B program omnibus guidance can be the basis for an "ongoing conversation among stakeholders" about the drug pricing program's future. … [Read more...]
Don’t Blame 340B for Private Cancer Clinics’ Finances
Some private cancer clinics blame the 340B program for their financial problems. In an article in The Journal of Oncology Practice, two nationally recognized oncologists argue that 340B isn't at fault. Blaming 340B for the the shift in cancer care from doctors' offices to hospitals and restricting 340B in response "would not address the major causes of this shift and would … [Read more...]
340B Drugmaker Monetary Penalties Rule Cleared for Publication
White House budget office completed its review on June 5June 8, 2015—The White House Office of Management and Budget has finished reviewing a proposed 340B program regulation to impose civil monetary sanctions on drugmakers that intentionally overcharge safety-net healthcare providers for 340B-discounted drugs. … [Read more...]
Even With ACA, 340B Is Still Needed
Just this morning, someone on Twitter asked: "With ACA, is 340B still needed with uninsured numbers dropping?" A new study from the financial rating firm Moody's Investors Service helps explain why 340B is, indeed, needed more than ever. Although public and nonprofit hospital bad debt and charity care trended downward in 2014, the first year of Medicaid expansion under the … [Read more...]
Study: Medicaid Expansion Isn’t Miracle Cure for Public, Nonprofit Hospitals
Reductions in bad debt aren't necessarily translating into better financialsJune 5, 2015—Medicaid expansion hasn't been the quick pick-me-up for public and nonprofit hospitals' finances as some expected, a new report by Moody's Investors Service concludes. … [Read more...]
Top Oncologists: 340B Isn’t Why Private Cancer Care Is in Decline
Evidence points instead to decreased Medicare reimbursement and other factors, they sayJune 4, 2015—The trend in cancer care away from physician offices toward hospital settings has little to do with the 340B program, and restricting 340B to alleviate the shift would only hurt vulnerable patients, two nationally prominent oncologists write in the Journal of Oncology Practice. … [Read more...]