The 340B drug discount program requires pharmaceutical companies to give discounts on outpatient drugs for providers serving low-income communities. The discounts, which can range from 25% to 50% of the cost of the drugs, can be a big financial aid to those providers, which generally operate under very thin margins.
Yet under the new guidance, even if a hospital is eligible for 340B, its care sites may no longer qualify for the drug discount program.
Hospitals with large outpatient networks could pay more for prescription drugs as a result of the change, said Maureen Testoni, CEO of 340B Health, a trade group representing providers in the program, in emailed comments.
