The average hospital today is operating at a margin less than three percent1. Whether above or below this average, most hospital executives are exploring unique sources of revenues, cost reduction and methods to improve patient outcomes.
Pharmacy
Ohio is fighting to release a state-sponsored report on what it paid two pharmacy benefit managers, Optum and CVS Health, to manage its Medicaid beneficiaries' prescription drug plans, according to NPR.
Louisiana is communicating with CMS to explore a subscription-based payment model for hepatitis C treatments, according to a proposal the Louisiana Department of Health released this week.
CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo pushed back against claims that industry middlemen drive up drug prices, disclosing that its pharmacy benefit arm keeps just 2 percent of the rebates it processes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The FDA approved or tentatively approved 126 generic drugs in July — more than any other month in history, according to Regulatory Focus.
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Mylan, the maker of EpiPen, saw its sales in North America drop 22 percent to $1 billion in the second quarter of 2018, according to its recently released earnings report.
Product Quest Manufacturing issued a recall of CVS Health 12-Hour Sinus Relief Nasal Mist after the product was contaminated with bacteria identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Drug recalls declined more than 25 percent in the second quarter of 2018, compared to the first quarter of the year, according to Stericycle Expert Solutions' latest report on U.S. product recalls released Aug. 8.
Health systems will see a 4.92 percent price increase for drug purchases in 2019, according to estimates from Vizient's July 2018 Drug Price Forecast report.
In a move expected to save $3.2 billion, Express Scripts Holding will drop 48 drugs from its lineup of covered therapies in 2019, reports Bloomberg.