Skip to content

340B INSIDER – July 2016

Posted on July 28, 2016 By RxStrategies, Inc. - ,

Welcome to the July edition of RxStrategies 340B Insider, a concise communication to provide a quick highlight of updates from RxStrategies’ view.

 

UPDATES FROM THE 340B COALITION SUMMER CONFERENCE

 

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

RxStrategies’ Increased Presence at 340B Coalition Summer Conference

It was great to connect with so many industry leaders during the conference. Thank you to those who were able to stop by our booth or visit with the RxStrategies team between sessions.

In addition to being a Pinnalce Leader Sponsor of the conference, RxStrategies showcased our new website, CompliancePlus (self-audit) and Split Billing solutions, and demonstrated our enhanced client portal and reporting capabilities. For further information or to request a demo, contact us.

During the 20th Annual 340B Coalition Summer Conference, our team networked with industry leaders to gain further insight on issues impacting the overall market. Thank you to 340B Health and other industry leaders for joining RxStrategies with our clients to address emerging industry issues and concerns.

For those who could not join, the sessions were very informative and included the following:

  1. Captain Krista Pedley, Director, Office of Pharmacy Affairs (OPA), HRSA, presentation included:
  • OPA/HRSA continues review of Mega-Reg comments and related discussions.
  • Current view is the timing for any Mega-Reg release will not occur until Dec. 2016 or 2017.
  • Specific questions were posed to Captain Pedley on Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) activity, in advance of Mega-Reg implementation, specifically if those enrolled in MMC are still 340B eligible. Captain Pedley confirmed thatMMC enrollees are still 340B eligible, however, Covered Entities (CEs) need to refer to any state specific MMC guidance. Other conference feedback confirmed that most CEs continue to process MMCs (when allowed by the specific state), and work “to do their best” in completing MMC state reporting requirements.
  1. Washington D.C. legislative staffers suggestedlegislative action on 340B is possible in 2017, after the 2016 Presidential election.
  2. Strong focus and discussions of increased CE responsibilityfor driving 340B program Integrity and compliance.
  3. Strong focus on CE internal audit processes continues.Maureen Testoni, Senior VP and General Counsel of 340B Health, reported that the audit area with the highest Specific Hospital Audit finding area continues to be Diversion. Other key areas include: Inaccurate database, duplicate discount and violation of the GPO prohibition.

RxStrategies’ interpretation and key take-aways from conference:

  • It is unclear when (or if) Mega-Reg will be released. Other 340B legislative reform may supersede its implementation.
  • MMC activity continues to be 340B eligible. RxStrategies is working with CEs to support state reporting requirements. We will advise clients as more information is available.
  • Proactive CE internal audits should be occurring regularly.  With RxStrategies’ support, CompliancePlus can be a powerful solution in assisting CEs ensure 340B Program integrity.

Contact us to discuss integrated solutions for compliant 340B program management. 

 

340B INDUSTRY NEWS

340B Hospital Recertification Begins Aug. 10: Annual recertification for 340B hospitals is scheduled to begin Aug. 10 and end Sept. 7. Hospitals will have four weeks to recertify their eligibility for the 340B program, which includes verifying the accuracy of their OPA database entries and attesting to compliance with 340B rules. Failure to recertify will result in removal from the program. Click here for more information about recertification.

HRSA Releases FY16 Audit Results: Updated 7/12/16. The results include audits where the findings have been finalized. More>

340B Health Report: “340B PROGRAM HELPS HOSPITALS PROVIDE SERVICES TO VULNERABLE PATIENTS”: Click to read the May 2016 report completed by 340B Health survey of its members. Hospitals reported that the 340B program is more important now than it was five years ago.

GAO Reports New Drug Shortages are Down. Ongoing Shortages Persists: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported on 7/7/2016 that the number of new drug shortages has generally decreased since 2011, while the number of ongoing shortages remained high. More>

Feds Sue to Block Health Insurance Mega-Mergers: Modern Healthcare reported on 7/21/16 that the U.S. Justice Department filed requests to block health insurance deals led by Aetna (Humana acquistion) and Anthem (Cigna Corp. acquisition). Citing reduced competition and potential harm to American consumers, these deals would ultimately shrink the number of national carriers from five to three. More>

 

RxSTRATEGIES UPDATES

RxStrategies Launches New Website And Portal

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website. Visitrxstrategies.com to quickly access information about our comprehensive 340B program solutions and keep up-to-date on industry news and events. More>

RxStrategies Welcomes New Team Member

We are pleased to introduce Todd Hudnall as Sales Manager – Midwest Region. He joins the RxStrategies’ sales team and has responsibility for sales and delivery of customized 340B pharmacy administration and split billing solutions to providers located in the Midwest Region. More>


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Join the RxStrategies’ team at the following upcoming conferences:

FACHC Annual Conference
July 31 – Aug. 3 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Learn more.

NACHC Health Institute & Expo
Aug. 28 – 30 | Chicago, IL
Learn more.

KAMU Annual Conference
Sept. 21 – 23 | Wichita, KS
Learn more.

APHCA Annual Conference
Sept. 20 – 22 | Mobile, AL
Learn more.

OACHC 2016 Fall Operations Conference
Sept. 26 – 28 | Columbus, OH
Learn more.

2016 GAPHC Conference
Oct. 11 – 13 | Atlanta, GA
Learn more.

NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference
Oct. 15 – 18 | Denver, CO
Learn more.

CPCA Annual Conference
Oct. 27 – 28 | Long Beach, CA
Learn more.

OKPCA Annual Conference
Oct. 26 – 28 | Columbus, OH
Learn more.