Drug Channels

DECEMBER 16, 2022

Shortly after I published the article below, HRSA posted public data about 340B covered entity purchases on its website. Fortunately, my 2022 FOIA efforts (described below) extracted purchases by 340B covered entity type for 2015 through 2021. For 2021, discounted purchases under the 340B program reached a record $43.9

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STAT

MARCH 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — An unusual new alliance of the brand-drug lobby PhRMA and community health centers is forming to push reforms in the 340B drug discount program, the groups announced Thursday. Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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STAT

OCTOBER 26, 2022

The 340B Drug Discount Program turns 30 on Nov. This once-obscure drug access program began modestly, but has grown to be the second-largest federal prescription drug program , behind Medicare Part D. It’s time, past time, really, for an honest conversation about it. Read the rest…

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STAT

JANUARY 10, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services will get to decide how to compensate hospitals for years of underpayments related to a federal drug discount program, a federal court decided Tuesday. Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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STAT

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

A large independent group of oncologists in Philadelphia is suing the area’s dominant hospital system, Jefferson Health, alleging the system is violating federal antitrust and kickback laws by creating a “concerted campaign to eliminate” the group’s “presence in the oncology marketplace.”

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STAT

JANUARY 30, 2023

In a victory for the pharmaceutical industry, a federal appeals court ruled drug companies have the right to limit discounts to hospitals that rely on numerous contract pharmacies as they participate in a U.S. government drug discount program. Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

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Integra X Files

MARCH 20, 2023

The 340B Program was created to provide medicine to patients who might otherwise not be able to afford it – but drug manufacturers see its current, expansive state as unsustainable. What Is 340B? Named after section 340B of the Public Health Service Act, the 340B Program was established by an act of Congress in 1992.

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PhRMA

MARCH 2, 2023

It would be a mistake if Congress continued to overlook the critically important need to fix the 340B Drug Pricing Program to ensure it is making medicines more affordable for low-income and other vulnerable patients. Here's how the program is (not) working. Here’s how 340B is hurting patients.

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Drug Channels

DECEMBER 15, 2023

My topic #9 for 2024: The Battle Over 340B Gets Even Messier. Drug Channels has just obtained new details on the size of the 340B Drug Pricing Program. For 2022, discounted purchases under the 340B program reached a record $53.7 For 2022, discounted purchases under the 340B program reached a record $53.7

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PhRMA

OCTOBER 6, 2022

The 340B Drug Pricing Program was designed to help vulnerable patients improve access to their medicines through manufacturer discounts to specific safety-net, non-profit hospitals and federally funded clinics.

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PhRMA

OCTOBER 20, 2022

The 340B Drug Pricing Program is 30 years old this year, but as The New York Times recently spelled out , the program has become a profit engine for large health systems over the years instead of a program that helps vulnerable, low-income patients.

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Pharmaceutical Commerce

JANUARY 30, 2024

New England Journal of Medicine study provides a breakdown of how hospitals—especially those that qualify for discounts under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program—are able to make a profit off insurer pharmaceutical expenditures.

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Proxsys Rx

DECEMBER 11, 2023

At the same time, it’s no secret that, since the advent of 340B ESP in 2020, the drug manufacturers have imposed a raft of restrictions on 340B program savings that exist far outside the letter of the law as written by Congress in 1992. Rebates which, incidentally, are never passed-along to patients themselves.

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Drug Channels

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

Drug Channels has just obtained new details on the size of the 340B Drug Pricing Program. For 2022, discounted purchases under the 340B program reached a record $53.7 The difference between list prices and discounted 340B purchases also grew, to $52.3 Hospitals accounted for 87% of 340B purchases for 2022.

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PhRMA

APRIL 24, 2023

Nonprofit hospitals are supposed to help provide access to crucial treatment and services in our most vulnerable communities. But recent research adds to the mountain of evidence showing nonprofit hospitals continue to fall short in their community benefit.

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Proxsys Rx

MARCH 1, 2024

At the same time, it’s no secret that, since the advent of 340B ESP in 2020, the drug manufacturers have imposed a raft of restrictions on 340B program savings that exist far outside the letter of the law as written by Congress in 1992. Rebates which, incidentally, are never passed-along to patients themselves.

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PhRMA

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

There have been some alarming stories uncovered by the media on ways nonprofit hospitals — many of which participate in the 340B drug pricing program — are taking advantage of the system and their tax-exempt status to boost their bottom lines, at the expense of patients. Here are some recent articles exposing this issue:

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Drug Channels

JULY 12, 2022

Despite what you may have heard, pharmacy participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program continues to thrive. pharmacy industry—now act as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and other healthcare providers that participate in the 340B program. Read on for details and my commentary below.

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Drug Channels

JULY 11, 2023

Looks like pharmacy and PBM profiteering within the 340B Drug Pricing Program will never go out of style. pharmacy industry—act as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and other healthcare providers that participate in the 340B program. Read on for my latest effort to pierce these little webs of 340B opacity.

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Proxsys Rx

OCTOBER 6, 2022

Why specialized software is essential for successful 340B programs As we’ve mentioned in several previous posts, many hospitals taking full advantage of 340B programs’ discounts save millions of dollars a year on prescription costs. Nor do their fees generally incetivize them to improve their performance.

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Proxsys Rx

OCTOBER 24, 2022

Introducing ProxsysRx’s 340B Program ROI Calculator The 340B program has often been described, and with good reason, as a black box. There are dozens of factors impacting an individual hospital’s relative success or failure in generating positive returns from a program.

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Drug Channels

MARCH 25, 2024

P.S. Join my nearly 54,000 LinkedIn followers for daily links to neat stuff. What’s ahead for the drug channel?

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Drug Channels

AUGUST 8, 2023

senators issued a request for information (RFI) for “input on bipartisan policy solutions that would provide stability and appropriate transparency to ensure the 340B program can continue to achieve its original intent of supporting entities serving eligible patients.” Recently, a bipartisan group of six U.S. I shared my $0.02

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Proxsys Rx

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Two DOPs Deal With Operations, The 340B Program, And Drug Manufacturers’ Restrictions ProxsysRx recently organized an introductory Zoom meeting between the DOPs of two health systems we serve. ANDREW CMC is a private non-profit, acute care DSH (Disproportionate Share Hospital) with 240 beds. It’s been exponential.

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Proxsys Rx

DECEMBER 8, 2022

A covered entity’s guide to selecting TPAs for its 340B program TPAs play a critical role in any covered entity’s 340B program. It’s their job to match contract pharmacies’ prescription claims with patient data provided by the health systems they serve, to determine 340B eligibility — and generate entity savings.

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Proxsys Rx

DECEMBER 20, 2022

ProxsysRx’s process for recovering lost 340B savings and revenue As we’ve noted in multiple earlier blog posts, 340B ESP is nothing short of a blatant, lawless tactic used by scores of drug manufacturers to disallow the discounts they are legally obligated to offer eligible entities.

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Pharmacy Times

JUNE 29, 2023

The impact of pharmacist on reducing medication expenses cannot be overstated as they leverage their medication management expertise within hospital settings through collaboration with the 340B program.

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Drug Channels

JUNE 15, 2021

Drug Channels Institute’s latest review of contract pharmacies in the 340B Drug Pricing Program reveals that an astonishing 30,000 pharmacy locations—half of the entire U.S. pharmacy industry—now act as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and other healthcare providers that participate in the 340B program.

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Drug Channels

JULY 23, 2020

The stunning growth of specialty pharmacies in the 340B Drug Pricing Program has accelerated a troubling trend: Patients covered by commercial insurance and Medicare Part D are footing the bill for 340B savings. That's the uncomfortable reality of the 340B program’s hidden prescription economics.

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Drug Channels

JULY 21, 2020

pharmacies now participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Below, we update our exclusive analysis of the biggest specialty pharmacies within 340B. As you will see below, these specialty pharmacies have dramatically increased their participation in the 340B program. d/b/a Drug Channels Institute.

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Proxsys Rx

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

To date, we’ve published a dozen posts either detailing, or mentioning-in-passing, the clinical and financial benefits a well-run Meds To Beds program offers hospitals and the patients they serve. Imagine,” says ProxsysRx VP of Growth Howard Hall, “if this had happened just days earlier — before we launched our Meds To Beds program.

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Proxsys Rx

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

For 340B-eligible hospitals dealing with increasingly tight bottom lines (which essentially means all 340B-eligible hospitals), an in-house specialty pharmacy offers enormous savings and revenue potential. What is a Specialty Pharmacy? That’s roughly six times faster than overall growth in the specialty drug market.

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Proxsys Rx

AUGUST 26, 2022

As we noted in a previous post , 340B ESP is nothing less than a brazen and (in our opinion) unlawful ploy by the drug manufacturers to evade the discounts they are legally obligated to offer eligible entities — by placing extraordinary, and unnecessary, reporting burdens on hospitals submitting claims for 340B savings.

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Proxsys Rx

JULY 5, 2023

On June 12, ProxsysRx opened its pharmacy in Holyoke Medical Center — a 198-bed independent community hospital in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Meds To Beds program planning Around the same time, ProxsysRx’s Corporate Trainer Becky Clark began planning the pharmacy’s Meds To Beds program for COO Billy Calhoun. “My

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Drug Channels

JULY 14, 2020

It’s time for our annual look at the 340B Drug Pricing Program’s booming pharmacy component. industry—now act as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and other healthcare providers that participate in the 340B program. Read more » Copyright © 2006-2020 Pembroke Consulting, Inc. d/b/a Drug Channels Institute.

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Drug Channels

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

I'm rerunning this post to provide context for manufacturers' recent actions regarding 340B contract pharmacies. However, Lilly will permit its insulin to be dispensed from 340B contract pharmacies—as long as patients receive the discounted 340B prices of $0.03 per 3 mL pen or $0.10 per 10 mL vial. per 3 mL pen or $0.10

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Proxsys Rx

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

To date, we’ve published a dozen posts either detailing, or mentioning-in-passing, the clinical and financial benefits a well-run Meds To Beds program offers hospitals and the patients they serve. Imagine,” says ProxsysRx VP of Growth Howard Hall, “if this had happened just days earlier — before we launched our Meds To Beds program.

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