The PA Department of Health released PA-HAN-753 on June 6 asking that clinicians continue to test for influenza in patients with respiratory illness throughout the summer, particularly in individuals who are severely ill, or individuals with influenza-like illness with or without a fever or conjunctivitis, particularly in persons with relevant exposures (e.g., dairy cows, raw milk, wild birds, poultry, agricultural fair attendance). Forward to the state public health laboratory for further testing the following: any specimens that are positive for influenza A but are subtype negative; or influenza A positive specimens that are subtype influenza A (H1) and not influenza A(H1)pdm09 on tests designed to provide an influenza subtyping result and confirmed upon retest or specimens from severely ill patients for which subtyping is not done.,. Please call the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) at 1-877- PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or your local health department.

Corry Memorial Hospital Association in northwest Pennsylvania was one of 15 recipients to share $11 million in Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funding to establish new residency programs in rural communities. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerras said, “Training more doctors in our country’s rural areas is a proven strategy to recruit and retain doctors to serve rural communities. By funding new residency programs focused on OB-GYN training, we can help eliminate maternal care deserts, an important step in making pregnancy and childbirth safer.” Corry Memorial Hospital, which is associated with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), will establish a new psychiatry residency program.

A college of osteopathic medicine proposed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania has secured a $20 million commitment from its foundation, the largest gift toward the initiative to date. The medical school would be the first osteopathic school of medicine on a public university campus in Pennsylvania. The commitment brings to $23.7 million the amount raised so far for the college, almost a fourth of what is believed to be needed initially, according to the university. In addition, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Jefferson, have announced they are seeking $2 million in community project funds in the federal budget for fiscal year 2025. Public and private funds already directed to the project include $2 million in state government funds announced in January by Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana; $1 million from alumnus Rich Caruso in May 2023; $500,000 from IUP’s alumni association in December; and another $150,000 in the 2024 federal budget. Read more.

Two more manufacturers have announced contract pharmacy restrictions (CPRs) on Community Health Centers and a third has tightened them:

·    Alkermes – who makes Vivitrol, an SUD treatment drug that CHCs often prescribe – announced CPRs that will go into effect on July 22. Due to varying payor rules about whether Vivitrol must be dispensed by a regular pharmacy or contract pharmacy, it will soon be impossible for most CHCs to obtain all their Vivitrol at the 340B price.

·    Sobi announced CPRs effective July 1, but they should have little impact on CHCs.

·    Effective July 1, Bristol Meyers Squibb will require CHCs with a single, designated contract pharmacy site to report data to ESP on that site. This data must be reported within 14 days of the drug being dispensed and include 16 elements for each claim. CHC experts say that meeting these requirements will be an extremely heavy lift, and possibly impossible.

·    Sanofi’s policy of treating free-standing CHC-owned pharmacies like contract pharmacies appears to have been adopted by Alkermes, Bausch & Lomb, and Sobi. More information will be forthcoming, but we’re told that health centers should prepare for most of their free-standing pharmacies to lose access to 340B-priced Sanofi, Bausch & Lomb, and Sobi drugs starting July 1, and Alkermes drugs starting July 22.

The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2024, HR 4581, passed through both the House and the Senate, and now awaits President Biden’s signature before it becomes law. The bipartisan bill amends the Maternal and Child Health Service Block Grant program to allow states to use those dollars for stillbirth prevention and research activities but does not include additional funding.

Senators Whitehouse and Cassidy introduced S. 4338, the Pay PCPs Act. The Pay PCPs Act would encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to accelerate its existing efforts to support value-based primary care and improve the adequacy of pay for primary care providers in Medicare. This legislation serves as a marker for future primary care legislation and includes a request for information on hybrid payments for primary care providers, risk adjustment criteria, quality measures and services to be included in hybrid models, cost sharing and technical advisory committees. Please send any feedback on the RFI questions to federalpolicy@nachc.org by June 28.