HRSA Issues Final Guidelines Permitting Children’s Hospitals to Enroll in the 340B Program - September 8, 2009

On September 1, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued final guidelines permitting certain children’s hospitals to enroll in the 340B program, as originally authorized under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). Eligible hospitals can begin to enroll immediately. While children’s hospitals can seek discounts retroactive to the effective date of the DRA (February 8, 2006), such discounts are prohibited for any quarter in which a hospital purchased any covered outpatient drugs through a group purchasing organization—which potentially limits the retroactive benefit to many hospitals significantly. A summary of the guidelines is available at www.hrsa.gov/opa/children.htm. NAPH is awaiting release of HRSA guidelines on 340B entities’ use of contract pharmacies, currently under review by the White House Office of Management and Budget, prior to publication in the Federal Register.