Welcome to the New & Improved Drug Discount Monitor
Important information about resetting your password and our new featuresMay 24, 2012—Today we’re re-launching the Drug Discount Monitor with a new look and new features to enhance your reading experience. You’ll now be able to get instant email alerts whenever we publish new articles, subscribe to a Monitor news feed, follow us on Twitter, and do keyword searches of our previous stories [...]
OPA Publishes Two New Policy Releases
Updates non-discrimination policy and clarifies 340B eligibility within ACOsMay 25, 2012—The Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) posted two new policy releases on its Web site yesterday. The first is an update to OPA’s non-discrimination policy requiring drug manufacturers to treat 340B providers the same as non-340B providers when manufacturers develop alternate allocation systems for drugs in short supply. OPA had issued [...]
CMS Reviewing Comments on Medicaid Drug Pricing Proposed Rule
Providers and drug manufacturers weigh in on 340B-specific issuesMay 22, 2012—Regulations implementing health care reform’s Medicaid drug rebate provisions should encourage “shared savings” arrangements between 340B covered entities and Medicaid agencies, provider groups urged in comments filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Drug manufacturers, meanwhile, asked CMS to exempt any prices charged to 340B covered entities from [...]
HRSA Takes First Step in Re-Competing PSSC Contract
Agreement will be for one base year plus four optional yearsMay 4, 2012—The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has taken the first step in the process of selecting a contractor to operate the Pharmacy Services Support Center (PSSC) for what likely will be the next five years. On Feb. 24, HRSA posted a “sources sought” notice on the Federal Business Opportunities Web [...]
340B Recertification Includes Strong Compliance Pledge
OPA director fields manufacturers' and wholesalers' questions during webinarMay 2, 2012—A new program-integrity oath that hospitals must take to remain certified for 340B drug discounts has “the strongest language” about compliance that they have ever been asked to sign, the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) official leading its hospital recertification initiative said last week during a webinar for drug manufacturers and wholesalers. “This [...]
340B Providers Urged to Test Their Compliance Systems
Get ready for a possible audit by self-auditing now, peer advisers tell entities during webinarApril 27, 2012—340B providers should prepare for the possibility of an audit by taking stock of their policies and procedures for avoiding duplicate discounts and drug diversion, a hospital and health-center network recently test-audited by the Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) counseled others during an April 25 webinar. In addition to self-auditing, the [...]
OPA Issues 8 FAQs About 340B Hospital Recertification
Answers questions that arose during February and March webinarsApril 21, 2012—The Office of Pharmacy (OPA) updated its frequently asked questions (FAQ) webpage yesterday with guidance for hospitals about recertifying their eligibility for 340B drug discounts. For the most part, the eight new FAQs address questions that came up during OPA’s Feb. 28 and March 28 webinars on recertification, which began on April 20 for free-standing cancer hospitals, children’s hospitals, [...]
OPA Holding 340B Recertification Webinar for Manufacturers & Wholesalers
First batch of hospitals due to begin reaffirming eligibility todayApril 20, 2012—The Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA) is holding a webinar next week for drug manufacturers and wholesalers about its 340B hospital recertification process. Recertification began today for free-standing cancer hospitals, children’s hospitals, rural referral centers (RRCs), and sole community hospitals (SCHs) and will begin on April 27 for disproportionate share (DSH) hospitals [...]
Influential Senator Seeks 7-Year Halt on 340B Pricing for Shortage-Prone Drugs
Draft bill would also exempt manufacturers from Medicaid rebates on many sterile injectable drugsApril 20, 2012—Senate Finance Committee Ranking Republican Orrin Hatch of Utah this week began circulating draft drug shortage legislation that would, among other provisions, exempt manufacturers of many sterile injectable drugs from paying Medicaid rebates and 340B discounts on the products for seven years. The exemptions would apply to single- and multiple-source sterile [...]
