March 18, 2020– A new report from a respected, independent congressional advisory panel sheds light on several of the key questions surrounding the 340B drug pricing program. In its March 2020 report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) examined whether participation in the 340B program leads to higher drug spending for Medicare patients with five … [Read more...]
With 340B, Patients with Bleeding Disorders Are Living Healthier Lives
March 10, 2020 – National health observances have associated red with February, when Valentine’s Day brings awareness campaigns related to heart health. But for 340B covered entities and other health providers, red also is a popular color in March because it demonstrates support for patients during National Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Pulling Patients Out of a Spiral
March 5, 2020– 340B hospitals know firsthand the downward spiral that can come about from high and rising drug costs. Patients with low incomes, especially those who are uninsured or underinsured, increasingly struggle to afford the prescription medications they need. As a result, they don’t take the medications as directed, or worse, they skip taking the drugs altogether. … [Read more...]
As 340B Experts Convene, All Eyes Are on the Future
by Maureen Testoni February 24, 2020– For the 340B drug pricing program, 2020 doesn’t just mark the end of a decade in which the program experienced significant change. It also launches a new decade of great opportunity for using 340B to meet the needs of patients with low incomes and those who are living in rural areas. The promise of the next 10 years was on the minds … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Reducing Patient Financial Uncertainty
February 6, 2020— Herb Werner vividly remembers the day he suffered the injury that would leave him paralyzed for life. He had just finished unclogging a downspout on his garage roof on a nice summer day when his ladder kicked out from under him and he fell. He was transported to MetroHealth in Cleveland, the nearest hospital designed to treat spinal cord trauma. That’s where … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Bringing Big Cancer Care to Small Towns
February 3, 2020 – Rural patients face multiple challenges when they need specialty care for illnesses such as cancer. One big barrier is affordability. Another is the long distance required to receive this care. Craig Ortego has seen both these challenges up close as vice president of oncology services at Lafayette General Health System in the south-central region of … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Quantifying 340B’s Value
January 16, 2020 – The 340B drug pricing program has generated countless patient stories about the difference the program makes every day in the lives of people struggling to access health care. But how does one quantify 340B’s impact on the services that safety-net hospitals offer to these patients? Joey Mattingly, PharmD, Ph.D., has explored this question in depth at the … [Read more...]