340B Changes Are Coming - Are You Prepared?

With the completed review of HRSA's latest Proposed Rule: "340B Civil Monetary Penalties for Manufacturers and Ceiling Price Regulations" by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the long-awaited proposed "Mega" Guidance under review and slated to come out later this year, are you prepared for the compliance requirements brought on by these policy and procedure changes?

At the 20th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Summit, we've got an entire day dedicated to just 340B. Join us during the pre-conference day on Wednesday, September 30th to get key 340B compliance information, with sessions on:

• • Key Highlights and Updates on HRSA, OPA 2015 Rulemaking
• • Getting it Right: 340B Policy & Procedure Compliance Checklist
• • Panel: Navigating the 340B Drug Pricing Program Database
• • Ensuring Compliance & Conducting Monitoring and Internal Auditing
• • Panel: 340B Hot Topics
• • And More!

Download the MDRP brochure for Summit details and the complete agenda.

PLUS! Get 340B Updates directly from HRSA on Thursday, October 1st during the main conference from Michelle Herzog, Deputy Director, Office of Pharmacy Affairs, HRSA.

This full-day summit is part of the Platinum Pass, which gives you access to the full three days of the MDRP Summit - the best value! Register now and save up to $300 off standard registration. Be sure to use priority code: XP2058BLOG

See you in Chicago this September!

Is Medicaid Extension Really Feasible?

The following excerpt is from a Podcast recorded by the MDRP Summit with Grace-Marie Turner, President of the Galen Institute last June. Access the complete MP3 and Transcript here.

Is Medicaid extension really feasible?

Grace-Marie: I just think that it’s going to be very difficult to convince those other states that have resisted so far because more and more evidence is coming down to show that expanding Medicaid as a traditional program as it is currently structured is real harmful to people. And it’s really harmful to the most vulnerable citizens who are on Medicaid today. If people have many chronic conditions, many of them have no place else to go. They are basically not insurable in the private marketplace. If they are under 100 or 138% of poverty, Medicaid really is their only option. As a result, you wind up with more people competing for the same limited number of doctors who will see Medicaid patients and making it even more difficult for people on Medicaid today to find a doctor to see them.

I had a father write to me recently who has a daughter who is on Medicaid – many chronic conditions and in a wheelchair. He said: “It takes me sometimes six weeks to get an appointment with her urologist”. He said: “Do they even think about how much more difficult it’s going to be to get an appointment with the urologist if there are a million more people competing for those same appointments?” So, we must fix it so that it allows the safety net to be intact for the most vulnerable people and give those who have the option to get private coverage to do so, so that they are not competing.

And then finally, I think that the states who want to expand the program need to guarantee that providers will be paid enough that they will be able to see a Medicaid patient. In some states like New Mexico that have a very high match rate, Medicaid pays at very close to Medicare rates. In other states, a doctor may be paid $5 or $7 for an office visit – not even enough to begin to cover expenses. Doctors want to take care of these patients, but they can only keep so many and keep the lights on and pay their own bills. So, we’ve got to be able to pay providers more and that’s the kind of leverage that I think that the states would be able to have if they were not so constrained by an avalanche of federal rules and all the “Mother May I?” waiver requests that they have to get to make any changes to their plan.

If they had more flexibility, then they could make sure that patients on the program today could actually find a doctor to see them and also make sure that those who may be in an expansion population have the option of coverage that looks more like the private insurance and the private marketplace so that it’s a track and a platform to private coverage rather than the cliff that Medicaid is today – either in or out. If you make $1 too much money then you’re out of Medicaid or $1 less and you’re in. It needs to be a smoother ramp to private coverage and there are a lot of ideas to do that, including giving people the option of basically taking their Medicaid allotment as a voucher to buy into private coverage. There are a lot of ideas out there to improve this program, but we need to remember that we’re doing it for the most vulnerable citizens who are on the program today, who have no place else to go, competing for a limited number of appointments with a shrinking number of doctors to actually get appointments.

We can do so much better and I think you’re going to see many more governors actually demanding those kinds of changes and that kind of flexibility in exchange for any expansion.


Join us at the 2015 MDRP Summit for complete coverage on all things pricing, rebates, contracting and collaboration. Register now and save $300 when you use the code: XP2058BLOG. 

This Week in Healthcare: 7/6 - 7/10

Top news from around the healthcare industry:

California Receives Failing Grad for Health Care Cost Transparency
California was one of 45 states to receive a failing grade for health care cost transparency, according to the third annual report by the Catalyst for Payment Reform and the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, Modern Healthcare reports.

FDA Strengthens Heart Safety Warning on Popular Pain Relievers
Federal health regulators are bolstering warning labels on popular pain relievers to reflect new information about their risks of heart attack and stroke.

Obama's CMS Nominee Slavitt Could Face Rough Road to Confirmation
President Barack Obama has nominated Andrew Slavitt as administrator of the CMS, the position he has held on an interim basis since Marilyn Tavenner stepped down in February.

 Happy reading! Have a great weekend.

Celebrate July 4th with 30% Off to MDRP 2015!

Take advantage of this special July 4th offer and save 30% to MDRP! Register with code XP2058SAVE30 to activate your 30% discount off the standard rates to IIR’s 20th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Programs Summit taking place September 30-October 2nd, 2015 in Chicago, IL. Visit the website for full details.

This limited-time offer expires on Monday, July 6th | Register here.

The 20th Annual Medicaid Drug Rebate Programs Summit continues to be the authoritative gathering for everything pricing, rebates, contracting, and collaboration. You’ll get unparalleled access to government officials creating regulatory rules, the industry leaders interpreting them, and the pharmaceutical executives implementing them. Collaborate with your peers to benchmark best industry practices and navigate regulatory hurdles, minimize wasted resources and optimize finances.

Don't miss out on getting essential regulatory updates from CMS, HRSA, OIG, VA and more!

Activate your 30% savings now with code XP2058SAVE30! Offer expires 7/6

Qualifications, rules and regulations: 
Offer cannot be applied retroactively to confirmed or pending registrations from today's date and prior. 30% discount cannot be combined with any team discounts or other promotions and/or discount offers. Discount is only valid from July 2 – July 6, 2015. All registrations are subject to IIR approval.