Drug Discount Program: Status of Agency Efforts to Improve 340B Program Oversight
Testimony before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, U.S. Senate, describing the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) actions in response to the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) recommendations to improve the 340B program oversight. Covers GAO's ongoing work related to the 340B program and HRSA's efforts to implement the GAO's recommendations. includes information on 340B program participants, program structure, operation, and key requirements.
Additional links: Examining Oversight Reports on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, Full Report
Date: 05/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries.
Date: 03/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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The Opioid Crisis: The Role of Technology and Data in Preventing and Treating Addiction
Highlights the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing on the use of data and technology interventions in combating the opioid epidemic. Features testimony from representatives of Express Scripts, the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, the Santa Clara University Public Health Program, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Date: 02/2018
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
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Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population
Describes a study to identify disparities in vaccine provision to people ages 65 and over, and to assess the impact of pharmacies as alternate site providers in rural areas. Includes statistics on pneumococcal vaccine services provided by fee-for-service pharmacies and primary care providers, with breakdowns by rural and urban frequency, and a state-level map with rate of service delivery per eligible population, using 2014 data.
Author(s): Jeffery C. Talbert, Aric Schadler, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Reforming Biopharmaceutical Pricing at Home and Abroad
Discusses federal policy changes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Medicare and Medicaid programs that could help lower domestic drug prices and encourage more robust price competition. Includes a discussion of potential changes to the 340B Drug Pricing Program and the resulting impacts for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Disproportionate Shares Hospitals (DSHs), and other providers.
Date: 02/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: The Council of Economic Advisers
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QuickStats: Percentage of Emergency Department Visits for Acute Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection That Had an Antimicrobial Ordered or Prescribed, by Metropolitan Statistical Area — United States, 2008–2015
Bar chart showing metropolitan and nonmetropolitan emergency department visits for acute viral upper respiratory tract infection that had an antimicrobial ordered or prescribed, with data for 2008–2011 compared to 2012–2015.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 67(3), 111
Date: 01/2018
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Review of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides extensive background information about the 340B Program, explains the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) oversight functions, and details requirements for the various covered entities, including rural hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Also makes recommendations for clarifying the 340B Program's scope and ensuring program integrity is maintained.
Date: 01/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee
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Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) Case Study: Critical Access Hospital - Southwest Health System
Outlines the governance structure, implementation strategies, key milestones, and outcomes from Cortez, Colorado-based Southwest Health System's antimicrobial stewardship program.
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health Research & Educational Trust
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Rural-Urban Enrollment in Part D Prescription Drug Plans: June 2017 Update
Updates prior policy briefs and shows state-to-state variation in stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug plans. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural and urban enrollment in 2008 and 2017.
Author(s): Paula Weigel, Fred Ullrich, Keith Mueller
Date: 12/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Preventing Drug Abuse: Low Participation by Pharmacies and Other Entities as Voluntary Collectors of Unused Prescription Drugs
Report to Congress documenting low participation rates among pharmacies and other eligible entities in the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) unused controlled substance collection and disposal program. Includes an outline of program requirements, a state-by-state overview of currently eligible and enrolled entities, and information about participation rates by rural and urban location.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 10/2017
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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