December 24 , 2009 - Safety Net Hospitals for Pharmaceutical Access (SNHPA), which represents about 500 hospitals in the 340B program, has asked Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to help state Medicaid programs better understand billing rules for 340B participants. SNHPA is also encouraging the government to make all the states aware of win-win arrangements developed … [Read more...]
TRICARE Retroactive Rebates In Order, Court Rules
Manufacturers must pay retroactive rebates to the government on drugs filled by TRICARE pharmacies, a federal judge ruled. For 340B providers it should mean business as usual.December 23 , 2009 - A federal judge recently ruled that the U.S. Department of Defense is entitled to retroactive rebates on prescriptions filled by pharmacies that participate in the TRICARE Retail Pharmacy Program, rebuffing a lawsuit filed by an industry group that contested the government's right to such refunds. This means drug manufacturers, some of whom had sought to … [Read more...]
Senate Reform Bill Retains Critical Inpatient Language
A proposal to extend the 340B discount to the hospital inpatient setting survived the latest Senate health care reform bill. But the game isn't over.December 1 , 2009 - The latest health care reform bill unveiled by the Senate leadership brought some welcome news to 340B hospitals who had been riding a roller-coaster in recent months as their key legislative proposals were tossed in and out of different versions of the reform bill. The new legislation, expected to be considered by the full Senate in early December, … [Read more...]
Why the Litigation Goes On – And On
The government has been stepping up enforcement actions against Medicaid fraud in recent years, but new cases keep cropping up. Why aren't drug companies learning the lesson?December 1 , 2009 - Every other month, it seems, another pharmaceutical company is called on the carpet and forced to pay millions — or billions — to settle allegations of fraud. So far in 2009, five major government cases against drug companies have been made public: Eli Lilly ($1.43 billion), Aventis Pharmaceuticals ($95.5 million), Mylan Pharmaceuticals/UDL Laboratories … [Read more...]
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The Drug Discount Monitor is now producing an enhanced print edition four times a year. It's replacing our old monthly edition.December 1 , 2009 - The Drug Discount Monitor is now producing an enhanced print edition four times a year. It's replacing our old monthly edition. Click here to view the December issue of the newsletter. And let us know if you want to receive the quarterly print edition by mail for a small additional fee. … [Read more...]
AIDS Group Sues California for Targeting 340B Providers for Medi-Cal Cuts
A new California law banning Medicaid carve-outs illegally discriminates against 340B providers, a California AIDS group alleges. AHF's Nov. 9 lawsuit is the first to challenge state carve-out prohibitions.November 17, 2009 - The AIDS Healthcare Foundation in California has sued the state over a new law that drastically cuts Medi-Cal reimbursements for safety-net providers in favor of large, national, for-profit pharmacy chains.qwe The AIDS Healthcare Foundation Central District of California, Western Division (AHF) filed its Nov. 9 complaint against the California Department … [Read more...]
Scaled-Back 340B Reform Passes House; Debate in Senate Next
The U.S. House of Representatives stripped out health reform language that would extend the 340b program to the inpatient setting, but advocates of the measure are fighting back. Safety-net hospitals say the extension would save their systems millions.November 17, 2009 - With the U.S. Senate poised to begin debate on health care reform, advocates of the 340B drug discount program are trying to regroup after the House leadership unexpectedly removed a long-sought extension of the program to the inpatient setting.a On Nov. 7, the House passed its health care reform legislation to provide access to health care for most of … [Read more...]