Vizient, Inc. Disappointed as CMS Finalizes 340B & “Site-Neutral” Policies in Final OPPS Rule

November 5, 2018 |

2 min read

Vizient, Inc. is disappointed that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opted to finalize site-neutral payment reductions and the expansion of payment cuts related to the 340B Drug Pricing Program in the final 2019 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule.

Nov. 5, 2018 11:00 UTC

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vizient, Inc. is disappointed that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opted to finalize site-neutral payment reductions and the expansion of payment cuts related to the 340B Drug Pricing Program in the final 2019 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule. The continuation of these damaging cuts will impact hospitals’ ability to maintain and expand access to care in rural and underserved communities.

The final OPPS rule expands “site-neutral” payment cuts for provider-based hospital outpatient departments over two-years. Patients across the nation rely on the comprehensive high-quality outpatient services provided by our member hospitals. These payment reductions will further reduce access to hospital-level outpatient care, especially in areas with already limited options for health care services.

CMS is also expanding last year’s damaging cuts to 340B hospitals by extending them to an even greater number of hospital outpatient departments. The 340B Program remains critical to America’s safety net, supporting lifesaving programs to provide care to the nation’s most vulnerable patients and communities. This policy will not serve to lower the cost of prescription drugs, but instead may hinder access to care for the nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Our hospital members strive to provide the highest quality of care regardless of the setting where it is delivered. These payment reductions targeting outpatient sites will hurt providers serving the most vulnerable patients in their communities, and may impact access to care. Vizient is disappointed in CMS’s decision to move forward with both policies in the final OPPS rule but will continue working to support our members impacted by these cuts.

Vizient is the nation’s largest health care performance improvement company serving a diverse membership that includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health care delivery networks and non-acute health care providers.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country, provides innovative data-driven solutions, expertise and collaborative opportunities that lead to improved patient outcomes and lower costs. Vizient’s diverse membership base includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume. The Vizient brand identity represents the integration of VHA Inc., University HealthSystem Consortium and Novation, which combined in 2015, as well as MedAssets’ Spend and Clinical Resource Management (SCM) segment, including Sg2, which was acquired in 2016. In 2018, Vizient again received a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute. Vizient’s headquarters are in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States. Please visit www.vizientinc.com as well as our newsroom, blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube pages for more information about the company.