Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) introduced legislation that aims to strengthen oversight of drug wholesalers by prohibiting them from purchasing drugs from pharmacies and by requiring more disclosure.
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Cardinal Health said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Dik Drug Co., a privately held regional drug wholesaler based in Burr Ridge, Ill.
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Highmark, the Pittsburgh insurer seeking to acquire a distressed health system, announced the launch of ProtoCo Supply Chain Partners, a group-purchasing and supply-chain services organization.
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HHS’ inspector general’s office, which is responsible for enforcing the anti-kickback statute, has not routinely exercised its authority to gather information about the business practices of GPOs over the past eight years, the Government Accountability Office said in a new report.
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Modern Healthcare is conducting a new opinion survey on supply chain issues. This survey is for senior-level healthcare executives to analyze their opinion on supply chain issues that effect their business decisions and relationships with group purchasing organizations.
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The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve legislation that would reauthorize the Food and Drug Administration's drug and device user-fee programs.
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Medicare's competitive-bidding program for durable medical equipment has saved $202 million in the first year in nine markets, according to a new HHS report.
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The average price of a radiosurgery system jumped 10.4% in February and is up 3% for the 12-month period ended in February, according to the latest edition of the Modern Healthcare/ECRI Institute Technology Price Index.
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Forming a group purchasing organization may reduce supply costs for Ascension Health and the GPO's membership, but the decision is not likely to lead to a new crop of hospital-owned GPOs.Earlier this month, Ascension Health said it would form a GPO that will function as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ascension Health Alliance, the newly formed parent company of the St. Louis-based health system. The GPO will be a service offered by the Resource and Supply Management Group, the supply-chain operation for the system.
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In response to pressures from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the private insurance market, most healthcare organizations are reorganizing and restructuring their clinical business models. And while not every provider seeks accountable care organization status, most expect to be held increasingly accountable for the care they provide through value-based purchasing or other quality initiatives. They recognize the need to bend the cost curve.
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