BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Carter introduces 340B transparency bill

April 24, 2018 8:07 PM UTC

Congressman Earl Carter (R-Ga.) introduced legislation Tuesday to increase transparency into the 340B drug pricing program by requiring hospitals to report low-income utilization rates for outpatient services, as well as for inpatient services in the main hospital and child sites.

340B eligibility can be partially determined by a hospital's Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) status, which is a formula based on a hospital’s share of low-income and uninsured patients. Carter said that the bill, titled the 340B Optimization Act, seeks to provide a better understanding of patient makeup of DHS hospitals to ensure the 340B program is being used in the most effective way for the most vulnerable patients...