Reminder: Recertification Deadline Approaching

As you likely know, the 340B Program HRSA Grantee Recertification deadline is right around the corner. See below for details from HRSA about the process including an upcoming webinar. From the Alliance perspective, we want to encourage everyone to recertify as early as possible to ensure that everything runs smoothly. We also want to take this opportunity to remind Alliance members about the top three reasons why maintaining your HM designation is so important for HTCs:
 

1. Your center must have an HM designation to be a member of the Alliance and benefit from all of the activities described above, including educational meetings and webinars, assistance from Alliance legal counsel on operational questions, payer activities to promote contracts with your HTC, and advocacy on behalf of HTCs. We know that these services are critically important to our members.
    
2. Your center must have an HM designation to be able to be a participating member of the Alliance, which gives you access to the sub-ceiling discounts negotiated by the Alliance GPO. These discounts allow centers to save significant sums of money, allowing you to share savings with public and private payers while ensuring adequate program income revenue to fund your center’s activities.
    
3. Your center’s HM designation is the best and only way to ensure that income generated from 340B sales of hemophilia treatments is reinvested back into an HTC. The HM designation allows enforcement of grant guidance that requires funds to be spent to support your center and the patient services you provide.

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Email from OPA about 2019 HRSA Grantee 340B Program Recertification

Dear 340B Stakeholders,

The 2019 340B Program HRSA Grantee Recertification period for Consolidated Health Centers, Federal Qualified Health Center Look-Alikes, Ryan White, Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Centers, Native Hawaiian, Black Lung Programs, Urban Indian, and Tribal Compact 638 will be January 28-February 25. There will be a recertification webinar held on January 23, 2019 from 1-2pm EST. I will send a separate email with all the information required to access the webinar.

Prior to being able to recertify, Authorizing Officials (AOs) and Primary Contacts(PCs) must set up a user account in the 340B Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System (340B OPAIS). Failure to set up user accounts will result in not being able to view accounts or conduct recertification, thus removal from the 340B Program. AOs and PCs must create individual user accounts, they will not be able to share access. There have been some enhancements to OPAIS since the last recertification period but the process of recertification remains the same. If any contact information has changed or new ones need to be added, please let me know prior to the start of recertification.

For assistance with the 340B OPAIS, I strongly encourage you and the covered entities to utilize the online help that is available for your convenience. HRSA also has information and tutorials available on our website at https://www.hrsa.gov/opa/340b-opais/index.html. For further assistance please contact the 340B call center operated by the 340B Prime Vendor Program at apexusanswers@340bpvp.com or 1-888-340-2787 (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST).

Regards,
LCDR Samuel N. Cardarella RN, BSN
Program Management Officer, Operations Branch, Office of Pharmacy Affairs
Health Resources Services Administration
Office 301-945-0930
scardarella@hrsa.gov

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Please Register for the Spring Meeting!
By Sean Singh

Our Spring meeting will be held in Washington in conjunction with our Hill Day this year. We realize that combining the meeting and Capitol Hill Day visits is very convenient for our members who have limited time to travel – it allows you to participate and learn at the member meeting and then also educate policymakers about HTCs and our community.

To register your attendance and make your hotel reservation, please click here.

We will be sending out a Draft Agenda next week but here is the general schedule for the event:

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Sunday April 28th

Hemophilia Alliance Board Meeting

Networking Reception – This session held in the evening gives you the opportunity to network with peers and discuss issues that are pertinent to you and your centers. It leads to topical conversation and a dialogue that benefits our community.

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Monday April 29th

General Meeting – The daylong session will be filled with updates from the Alliance on all of the challenges, opportunities and threats facing HTCs and strategies to address them. We expect that this session will be lively and interactive.

Networking Dinner and Hill Day prep – This session will provide all of the details and training you need to meet with Members of Congress and their staff member to educate them about your centers, patients and the community. Telling your story has never been easier with the guidance of our Advocacy team led by Ellen Riker and Johanna Gray.

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Tuesday April 30th

Hill Day – Following a breakfast briefing, we will head in teams to Capitol Hill to visit members of the House of Representatives and Senate and their staff. We will schedule your appointments and provide you with information that will make the day’s visits easy and enjoyable. Meetings will end in the late afternoon. Return trips from Washington DC should be planned for Tuesday evening or Wednesday.

Team Alliance Contact Information

We work for you! Please don’t hesitate to contact any of us with any questions or concerns: