March 9, 2010 - Expanding 340B drug pricing to Medicaid disease-management programs is proving to be tough, Utah health department officials say, but they are not giving up. In a late February report to the Utah Legislature, the state Department of Health describes the obstacles it has encountered implementing a 2008 law that could pave the way for extending Utah's … [Read more...]
Long-Awaited Contract Pharmacy Guidelines Published
The long-awaited 340B multiple contract pharmacy guidelines have been issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will be published in the March 5 Federal Register.March 4, 2010 - The long-awaited 340B multiple contract pharmacy guidelines have been issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and will be published in the March 5 Federal Register. They will take effect on April 5. The guidelines will permit 340B covered entities to contract with more than one outpatient pharmacy or to have both an in-house … [Read more...]
GAO Weighs in on Group Purchasing Organizations’ Value to Hospitals
March 4, 2010 - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says it can identify just one peer-reviewed study conducted during the past five years that examines whether group purchasing organizations (GPOs) save hospitals and other health care providers money. That single study, however, a 2008 national opinion survey of hospital materials management executives, vindicates … [Read more...]
Number of Uninsured Soar at Nation’s Safety-Net Hospitals
Public hospitals and other providers that care for the poor and uninsured have seen uncompensated care costs shoot through the roof. Some have reported as much as $16 million in losses, a new survey shows.February 26 , 2010 - Since the current economic recession began in December 2007, providers that care for the nation's most vulnerable patients have seen a 23-percent increase in those who lack health insurance – and many institutions are nearing a financial breaking point, the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems reported this week. The association, … [Read more...]
Obama Health Reform Proposal Chops PhRMA’s $80B Deal
As the drug industry grapples with new uncertainties, safety-net providers were pleased that legislation to extend the 340B drug discount to the inpatient side made it into the president's proposal.February 25 , 2010 - The agreement the drug industry believed it had reached with the Obama administration to limit its total contributions to health care reform seems to have been forsaken in the White House proposal released this week. At the same time, provisions of the Senate legislation that extend 340B discounts to the hospital inpatient setting appear, at least for … [Read more...]
Access our quarterly print newsletter!
February 16 , 2010 - The Drug Discount Monitor is now producing an enhanced print edition four times a year. It's replaced our old monthly newsletter and gives you a compilation of our best recent online articles. Click here to view a pdf-version of our February 2010 issue. And let us know if you want to receive the quarterly print edition by mail for a small additional … [Read more...]
Obama’s Budget Boosts OPA Funding to $5 Million
If all stars align, the Office of Pharmacy Affairs could get its largest budget in 340B history next fiscal year. Continued database improvements are on top of OPA's to-do list.February 12, 2010 - Much can happen to the federal budget between now and when congressional appropriations committees decide this fall how much each agency will receive. This may be especially true at a time when Congress is taking a hard look at the nation's soaring deficit. But if President Obama has his way, the chronically underfunded Office of Pharmacy Affairs will … [Read more...]