In comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the International Pricing Index model for Medicare Part B drugs, AHA commends the agency's willingness to address excessive growth in drug prices, but "given the amount of model specifics still to be determined, the anticipated operational burdens, as well as other logistical concerns, the AHA urges CMS to consider narrowing the scope of the program to a more targeted intervention than that described in the ANPRM." AHA's Dec. 27 comments and concerns focused on the ANPRM's impact on hospitals participating in the 340B Drug Pricing Program; regulatory and operational burden; payment reductions; and model vendors' fees and policies. The AHA noted that its primary concern is the model's interaction with the 340B program and asked CMS to hold 340B hospitals harmless under the model. AHA said it looks forward to working with CMS "to improve the IPI model."

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA June 16 released a report showing hospitals that participated in the 340B Drug Pricing Program are not only subject to disproportionately greater…
Chairperson's File
Public
Advocacy is such an important part of what we do as hospitals and health systems — and what the AHA does on behalf of our field — to help ensure that we get…
Headline
The AHA June 4 filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in defense of the state’s 340B contract pharmacy law…
Headline
The Department of Health and Human Services May 20 announced it has identified specific pricing targets for pharmaceutical manufacturers to meet to satisfy…
Headline
A U.S. district court judge for the District of Columbia May 15 ruled the Department of Health and Human Services must preapprove the use of 340B “rebate…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services May 12 released draft guidance for the third round of negotiations for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation…