AHA, AAMC express support for 340B program

The 340B Drug Pricing Program “has enabled hospitals and health systems to support and expand access and services consistent with their mission and the program’s original and ongoing charge,” the AHA and Association of American Medical Colleges today told leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. In the letter, AHA and AAMC provided examples of how hospitals and health systems have used 340B savings to expand access and services. These include supporting neonatal intensive care units and training for physicians to care for vulnerable newborns; providing low-income patients with free outpatient drugs; and pharmacist counseling services for medication therapy disease management, including telephone consultations for outpatients with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. The letter also notes that the 340B program is not federally funded, and 340B sales are less than 3% of the total U.S. drug market. The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the 340B program Oct. 11.