340B Unscripted

Greg and Rob break down the ins and outs of the Medicare Cost Report and the dos and don'ts of child site registrations. They also provide an update on contract pharmacy manufacturer restrictions and information on the upcoming 340B Coalition Conference. We also hear from our Producer Aiden and provide the secret password for your free 340B Unscripted t-shirt at the conference. 

In this episode, Greg and Rob talk about an important 340B Program compliance element – preventing Medicaid duplicate discounts.  They discuss the importance of maintaining the Medicaid Exclusion File (MEF), challenges with managing state-specific billing requirements, and strategies for managing out-of-state Medicaid.

In the intro, the guys review updates to manufacturer restrictions for contract pharmacies and share anecdotes from recent HRSA audit experiences. 

In this episode, Greg and Rob discuss a recent publication regarding how 340B Program participation may impact the degree of biosimilar utilization.  Additionally, the guys recap recent legislative proposals with 340B impact that were advanced by the House Energy & Commerce Committee.  

Article citation:  Health Affairs 42, NO. 5 (2023): 632–641 

In this episode, Rob and Greg discuss an interesting piece of 340B history – the Morford letter (25:31).  Rob shares his understanding of the origins of the letter and contemporary application of the letter as it relates to the recent debate around the 340B-eligible patient definition.

But first, the guys catch up on 340B news, including: 

To access a copy of the Morford Letter: http://content.spendmend.com/assets/Morford-Letter-1.26.01.pdf

Greg and Rob provide a quick update on FAQ 4301 and where we are with HRSA removing language around the immediate use of new 340B locations.

In this episode, Rob and Greg are joined by guest Ted Slafsky, of 340B Report and Wexford Solutions (13:20). Ted shares his thoughts on the ongoing contract pharmacy impasse, updates on legislative developments coming out of D.C., and highlights some of the emerging advocacy groups as the debate over 340B Program reform heats up.   

But first, Greg and Rob discuss upcoming recertification for grantee-covered entities and debate what the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency means for 340B covered entities.

This week, Rob and Greg connected with Vacheria Keys, Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at NACHC. Vacheria will talk about her role at NACHC and how the health centers she represents have been impacted by a number of ongoing 340B developments (23:05).  She’ll also share her thoughts on where things may go in terms of ongoing litigation related to contract pharmacy restrictions and patient definition (30:29).  Finally, Vacheria and the guys will chat about NACHC’s 340B advocacy efforts, specifically the recently unveiled ASAP 340B policy principles (39:48).

In the intro, the guys follow up on some earlier discussions regarding HRSA audit numbers projected for 2023, recent OPAIS changes, and a bipartisan bill introduced in the House, “The PROTECT 340B Act”. 

Rob is back from San Diego, and he and Greg have a lot to catch up on, including a recap of notable events and sessions from the 340B Coalition 2023 Winter Conference (27:37). But first, They’ll discuss recent changes to manufacturer-related contract pharmacy restrictions (1:03), share insights from recent Congressional hearings where 340B has been a focus (13:42), discuss recent OPAIS changes (20:43) and talk about the impact hospitals might expect with the phase-out of continuous Medicaid coverage starting this month (24:03).   

Stick around at the end to catch sound bytes from SpendMend staff on what they learned at the Coalition conference!

AHA Talking Points for 340B Advocacy: https://www.aha.org/talking-points/2023-04-04-talking-points-ensuring-protection-vital-340b-program-patients-and-providers

In this episode, Rob and Greg dissect some of the finer details of the ASAP 340B policy principles. They’ll address the merits of proposed reform around topics like patient definition, hospital and child site eligibility, contract pharmacy provisions, and 340B savings transparency, among other targeted policy areas. Also, with the 340B Coalition Winter Conference right around the corner, the guys highlight sessions and presentations (41:08) featuring SpendMend clients and 340B friends that you won’t want to miss.  The SpendMend Pharmacy team will be at Booth 319, so if you attend the Coalition, make sure to stop by.  And no worries if you cannot make it this year, we’ll be taking notes and sharing insights from our experience at Coalition on upcoming episodes.