Supply Chain Management

HRSA curtails pandemic-era 340B flexibilities for hospitals’ off-campus outpatient facilities

In an expected move that stands to affect the savings reaped by health systems from the 340B Drug Pricing Program, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is tightening participation requirements for off-campus outpatient facilities. In a published alert, HRSA announced plans to end pandemic-related flexibilities that have made it easier for off-campus outpatient facilities…

Nick Hut October 31, 2023

Amid positive signs financially, hospitals continue to grapple with high costs in labor and other areas

The latest financial metrics for the hospital sector reflect a period of increasing stability but also sustained challenges. August financial data from more than 1,300 hospitals, as reported by Syntellis Performance Solutions, showed improvements in key metrics. The month-over-month increase in median operating margin was 3.5 percentage points, helping the year-to-date margin rise to 1.4%…

Nick Hut October 17, 2023

Published data quantify how cost increases will continue to affect the healthcare industry next year

The cost to treat patients will accelerate next year, with ramifications across the healthcare industry, according to newly published projections. PwC’s Health Research Institute reported that the cost of providing care will increase by 7% in 2024, up from a 6% increase this year and 5.5% in 2022. A 7% increase would tie 2021 for…

Nick Hut September 7, 2023

Prices of drugs for diabetes, heart failure and more will be up for negotiation in Medicare next year

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday announced the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs that will be subject to price negotiations, the headlining healthcare-related provision of the Inflation Reduction Act. Signed in August 2022, the law gave Medicare authority to negotiate with drug manufacturers over the prices of selected drugs.…

Nick Hut August 29, 2023

Billions of dollars in lump-sum payments are coming to hospitals as a remedy for 340B-related underpayments

Hospitals that participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program stand to receive $9 billion in aggregate lump-sum payments as compensation for underpayments from Medicare during a nearly five-year period. In a proposed rule issued July 7, CMS described how it would provide remedies following a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that the U.S. Department of Health…

Nick Hut July 10, 2023

Annual Conference: Healthcare entrepreneur Alex Oshmyansky describes his efforts to disrupt drug pricing

Arguably no segment of the healthcare industry is more susceptible to disruption than the market for prescription drugs, as Alex Oshmyansky, MD, PhD, made clear Wednesday morning during the closing session of HFMA’s Annual Conference. Oshmyansky spoke about his personal efforts to disrupt the pharmaceutical market in his role as co-founder and CEO of Mark…

Nick Hut June 28, 2023

Harris Affinity Decision Support can help healthcare leaders identify meaningful areas for improvement

Improve your healthcare organization by leveraging advanced cost, performance, reimbursement and profitability data to inform and drive critical financial, operational and clinical decision-making.

HFMA May 1, 2023

How the CEO of Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. aims to upend the PBM model 

W hen Alexander Oshmyansky, MD, PhD, pitched the idea of a not-for-profit drug company that would undercut drugmakers’ excessively priced pharmaceuticals, he was soundly rejected by potential backers, attracting no outside money. But on the advice to try to create a for-profit company instead, and with the later backing of Mark Cuban, things started to happen.…

Paul Barr, MS, MBA April 28, 2023

Medicare’s proposed FY24 update to inpatient payments falls short, hospitals say

Hospitals are less than pleased with Medicare’s proposed FY24 payment update for inpatient care. In proposed regulations, the net inpatient payment update is 2.8% after factoring in a mandatory productivity adjustment of -0.2 percentage points. As usual, the update would be reduced for any hospital that does not fulfill quality-reporting requirements or qualify as a…

Nick Hut April 12, 2023

The impact of claims denials on the financial health of healthcare

While their hospitals and healthcare centers have long had to deal with claims denials, the number of denied claims continues to rise and payers are showing little inclination to help solve the problem, according to several roundtable participants.

HFMA March 29, 2023
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