As legislators continued to debate the future of the 340B drug discount program on Wednesday, leaders at several major health systems in both urban and rural settings raised concerns over the serious risks they face if those savings sustain significant cuts. Already, those reductions have forced West Virginia University Medicine—which serves a large, rural population—to “regroup” and…
Two stalwart supporters of the 340B program in Congress appealed today for more help engaging lawmakers and more of the public in efforts to protect the drug discount program. Reps. David McKinley (R-W.V.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) spoke at a May 16 Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by Vizient, a healthcare services company that contracts with…
The 340B discount program for prescription drugs used by safety-net hospitals needs better government oversight, several watchdog agency officials said at a Senate hearing. Although the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the program, has taken some important steps to improve oversight, “a number of important issues remain,” said Debra Draper, PhD, director…