Safety Net Clinic and Hospital User Group Forms to Collaborate on 340B Drug Program Best Practices and Transparency Initiatives

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Medicine Access and Compliance Coalition (MACC) was formed in the District of Columbia as a not-for-profit organization, with its newly elected Board of Directors convening.  MACC is the first and single largest 340B drug program user group of its kind to voluntarily submit to self-examination through peer and industry review, and to seek constructive input from drug manufacturers, legislators and other advocacy groups to produce and promote recommended best practices.  MACC also has the distinction of being one of the first groups with joint Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and hospital leadership.

MACC shall represent safety net clinics and hospitals that use the 340B drug program compliance technology platform called CUMULUS™, a CaptureRx® solution.  The user group consists of over 1,500 covered entity site locations, operating in 41 States and managing over 4.3 million patient lives with 14 million outpatient medical encounters annually.

MACC core initiatives shall:  1) create standards and practices with oversight and third party audit activities to assure compliance, transparency and stewardship of the 340B pharmacy medicine discount program; 2) promote and deploy medicine therapies, adherence and education programs to the most vulnerable patient populations mostly served by safety-net providers; and  3) assist in defining policy and advocating for medicine access through open dialogue with industry stakeholders, regulators and legislators.

Critical to the success of MACC and consensus building  is the development of the Standards Review Board (SRB).  The SRB, which will be appointed by the MACC Board of Directors, shall include drug manufacturers, pharmacy providers, pharmacy benefits managers, and other advocacy groups that are impacted by the 340B drug program.  The SRB will help create guidelines, best practices and define the MACC Standards.  Covered entities will also have the opportunity to voluntarily participate in a certification process that will be based on the MACC Standards that have been established by the SRB.

MACC will be co-chaired by the Honorable Billy Tauzin, former U.S. Congressman and past President of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and Dean Germano, CEO of Shasta Community Health Center of Redding, California.  "Responsibility begins with oneself," states Mr. Germano, "We are committed, through collective responsibility, to not just the letter of the 340B law, but its spirit as well."  Other board members consist of representatives from small clinic programs to large health systems to include Banner Health and New York City Health and Hospitals.

For more information on MACC, please visit http://www.medicineaccess.org.

For Information Contact:
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SOURCE Medicine Access