McKesson programs help hospital partners stretch healthcare resources to serve indigent patients
ORLANDO,
DECEMBER 9, 2013
– McKesson Health Systems is highlighting its comprehensive suite of indigent-care
solutions for hospital and health-system pharmacies at this year’s American
Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting (Booth
#849), currently underway.
“Even with the advent of the Affordable Care Act, a
significant number of patients will remain uninsured. Hospital pharmacies will
still seek assistance through 340B and other indigent-care programs, which
means they need a strong partner to implement solutions and realize the
benefits of these important safety-net programs,” said Scott
Miller, senior vice president of McKesson Health Systems. “Building on McKesson’s leading distribution capabilities,
we provide in-depth expertise and a range of unique solutions to assist with
indigent-care management and increase customers’ confidence that they have the
most cost-efficient and comprehensive programs in place.”
McKesson 340B Solutions
The federal 340B Drug
Pricing Program offers significant savings to the nation’s safety-net providers
to support the cost of serving vulnerable and low-income patients, but complying
with the program’s inventory management, auditing and tracking requirements can
be cumbersome. McKesson offers the following services and products to support
hospitals:
- McKesson 340B Solutions Consulting: Many hospitals don’t
optimize their participation in the 340B program because regulatory compliance,
management, auditing and tracking requirements are complex and resource
intensive. McKesson’s Pharmacy Optimization team provides consulting, implementation
services and pharmacy practice resources to hospitals and health-system pharmacies
to help reduce costs, improve efficiency and uncover untapped opportunities available
under the 340B program. With strong consulting depth from accomplished pharmacy
experts, the 340B consulting team can help navigate the complexities of 340B by
providing actionable recommendations and plans to optimize program participation.
Integrated with Macro Helix’s industry-leading software platform, McKesson’s
holistic approach and operational support provide an end-to-end solution for
340B management.
- Macro Helix 340B Architect Software: Macro
Helix has helped approximately 450 community and academic hospitals serve their
indigent patients while increasing operational efficiency with its
sophisticated, intuitive software. The 340B Architect software
provides transparent tracking,
management and replenishment designed to help pharmacies maintain
compliance with the 340B program. The software tracks all eligible outpatient
drug utilization at the NDC and patient
level, as well as 340B ordering of non-wholesaler and non-pharmacy
340B-eligible items, and easily integrates with McKesson’s ordering platform,
McKesson Connect. With the agility to quickly implement solutions for new rules
and regulations (e.g., automated orphan drug exclusion management), to support
compliance, Macro Helix helps assist with audits through standard and custom
reports as well as a dedicated audit team. Macro Helix also assists eligible 340B
entities in evaluating and establishing 340B contract-dispensing agreements
with local and national pharmacies, including hospitals and other types of
providers.
“We bring extensive
knowledge and support across the entire healthcare continuum, from the hospital
and ambulatory setting to retail and alternate site pharmacies,” said Andrew Wilson, vice president, 340B Solutions. “With deep industry
experience, McKesson’s 340B team can offer valuable insights and support best
practices to address the broader strategic challenges that health systems are
facing today.”
“Using Macro Helix’s 340B Architect product, Carolinas
HealthCare System is able to accurately identify 340B-eligible patients as well
as provide information needed for an official HRSA audit and for ongoing
self-audit activities. Further, McKesson has been progressive and creative in
identifying new mechanisms to help us be compliant with the ever-evolving
requirements of the 340B program, and has adjusted its contracting and
distribution processes accordingly,” said Bob Carta, vice president, division of pharmacy services, Carolinas HealthCare
System. “We appreciate and regularly avail ourselves of the in-depth
knowledge of McKesson’s 340B team of experts. I can’t imagine a better partner
to optimize our financial management of the segment of our budget that consumes
80% of our resources.”
McKesson MedSource® Patient
Assistance Recovery Program
Managing manufacturer patient-assistance programs (PAPs) is
time consuming and requires staying current with program requirements and various
enrollment processes. McKesson’s MedSource program reduces the time, cost and
hassle for hospitals by combining a dedicated PAP recovery manager with
proprietary software and tools for tracking, reporting and managing hospitals’
participation in the programs. MedSource works seamlessly with legacy hospital-pharmacy
and accounting systems, so it complements existing workflow and processes.
“I continue to be impressed and appreciative
of MedSource’s success in recovering costs incurred with our non-resource
patient population. With the growing number of patients in our area who
need healthcare services but lack insurance and/or financial resources, the
service of the MedSource program is needed more than ever,” said Marshall
Steglich, director of pharmacy, Houston Northwest Medical Center. “Recouping
the money allows our facility to continue to provide service to underinsured
patients while making the monthly operating picture a bit less negative. I
also appreciate the monthly reports illustrating the dollars that were
recovered.”
“Carolinas HealthCare
System has a commitment to serve all patients regardless of their ability to
pay, and McKesson is a crucial partner in facilitating that mission,” said Bob Carta.
“McKesson assists Carolinas HealthCare System in stretching healthcare
resources to serve as many indigent patients as possible through these
important programs.”
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 14th
on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company
dedicated to making the business of healthcare run better. We partner with
payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and
others across the spectrum of care to build healthier organizations that
deliver better care to patients in every setting. McKesson helps its customers
improve their financial, operational, and clinical performance with solutions
that include pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management, healthcare
information technology, and business and clinical services. For more
information, visit http://www.McKesson.com.
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