By Karin Rives HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, 60, was sworn in as the nation's new health secretary April 28 after the U.S. Senate voted 65 to 31 to confirm her nomination. As head of the sprawling Department of Health and Human Services, she will become immersed in efforts to reform the nation's healthcare system while … [Read more...]
New Policies and Priorities Ahead for HHS and HRSA
America’s new healthcare leaders have made it clear: Business as usual won’t do. 340B could gain from new policies.By Karin Rives When introducing his pick for the nation’s health secretary, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama repeated a warning he’s issued often in recent months: The nation cannot afford to fail to act on healthcare reform. “Fixing what’s wrong with our healthcare system is no longer just a moral imperative, but a fiscal imperative,” the president … [Read more...]
OPA and Cash-Strapped Safety-Net Providers Get Financial Boost
Millions of stimulus dollars are flowing into OPA programs and boosting health centers. centeservices.By Stuart Gordon As the ranks of the uninsured grow and hospitals, health centers and other public health providers struggle to meet demands, Washington is providing some relief. Beneficiaries of the recently enacted stimulus package and the 2009 appropriations bill include hospitals, health centers and even the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA). As part of a six-month … [Read more...]
A Win for Family Planning and College Clinics
Nominal sales price is expanded to family planning and college clinics to lower costs of contraceptives.By Karin Rives A little-known provision in the federal omnibus spending bill passed by Congress last month could have huge implications for family planning clinics and student health centers – as well as their patients. The bill allows new groups of health service providers to procure drugs at “nominal prices” under the Medicaid drug rebate statute. The nominal price of a … [Read more...]
IVIG Access at 340B Prices Still a Struggle, Survey Shows
Safety-net providers have difficulty obtaining IVIG products at 340B prices. Are suppliers ignoring the 340B law?By Stuart Gordon The federal government recently eliminated supplemental provider fees it provided under the Medicare program to obtain intravenous immunoglobulin therapies (IVIG) , citing “stability in the market.” But safety-net hospitals have a different experience; they say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to access the widely used blood products at 340B … [Read more...]
New HRSA Guidelines May Hamper Health Center Innovation
New HRSA guidelines could stymie health center innovations.By Stuart Gordon The Obama Administration’s efforts to expand community health center services could be complicated by new guidelines that set conditions for centers that seek the agency’s approval to add specialty services. This, in turn, could limit health center use or 340B drugs for specialty care where potential savings is often most attractive. The problem: A Health … [Read more...]
HRSA Seeks Prime Vendor Bids
Proposals are due April 20, 2009.By Stuart Gordon March 25, 2009 -- The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced in a March 20 request for proposals that it’s seeking candidates to serve as the 340B Prime Vendor for the next five years. Interested organizations have until 10 a.m. on April 20, 2009, to submit a proposal, although HRSA reserves the right to select a prime vendor … [Read more...]