July 9, 2019– The 340B drug pricing program may discourage drug manufacturers from raising prices and instead may have the effect of reducing list prices for certain drugs. That’s according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Study authors Sean Dickson of West Health and Ian Reynolds of the Pew Charitable Trusts evaluated the … [Read more...]
Focus on Rural Health Puts 340B in Spotlight
June 28, 2019– A pair of new reports demonstrate the precarious position of the nation’s rural health care system and underscore the need for the 340B drug pricing program to continue bolstering struggling safety-net hospitals caring for underserved rural communities. With more than 100 rural hospitals closing in the past decade, policymakers from across the political … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Care in the Wake of Destruction
June 25, 2019— For those who survived the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean in 2017, the next challenge came in finding the health care they needed. Thanks in large part to 340B, one clinic in Puerto Rico was able to step up and aid many of those affected by the disasters. Puerto Rico CoNCRA is a community-based organization that is one of the largest … [Read more...]
Pillars of Care: Five Important Ways That Medicaid and 340B Are Alike
by Maureen Testoni June 20, 2019– Web headlines such as “10 Things You Missed in the Game of Thrones Finale!’” are the epitome of clickbait, but they are effective in getting people’s attention. So let’s try this: Can you name the five important ways that Medicaid and the 340B drug pricing program are alike? The answers might surprise you! Even most casual observers know … [Read more...]
Five Ways 340B Hospitals are Using Savings for Patients
June 12, 2019— As policymakers debate the future of the 340B drug pricing program, a new report by 340B Health finds that hospitals are using the savings from outpatient prescription drug discounts to care for patients with low incomes and those living in underserved rural communities. The report is based on a survey of more than 1,300 hospitals participating in … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: The Sting of High Drug Prices
June 4, 2019— The connection between the 340B drug pricing program and scorpions might not be a natural one for an outsider to make. But the health professionals at Arizona-based Banner Health know how important the former can be for someone who has an unfortunate run-in with the latter. In the southwest U.S., patients experiencing stings from poisonous bark scorpions … [Read more...]
Faces of 340B: Going Above and Beyond
May 24, 2019— The mission of Catholic Health System based in Buffalo, N.Y., is to treat all patients with respect and dignity regardless of what brings them through the doors. That’s why the Mount St. Mary’s Neighborhood Health Center in Niagara Falls, at one of the system’s five hospitals, goes “above and beyond” to help patients living with drug and alcohol use disorders, … [Read more...]