AWP and the Future of Drug Price Benchmarks

The Average Wholesale Price (AWP) has long been the drug price
benchmark for establishing reimbursement payment terms between payers, PBM’s, and pharmacies. Created in 1969 by George Pennebaker to address the need for a reference price to adjudicate California Medicaid drug claims, AWP became the standard nationwide as the shift from paper to real-time drug reimbursement claims required the use of common pricing fields. However, as early as the 1980’s, industry pundits referred to AWP as “ain’t what’s paid” because of the common and significant gap between AWP and the actual acquisition cost of a drug.

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Gold Standard Drug Database Version 4 Released

A new version of the Gold Standard Drug Database (formerly Alchemy) was released on Friday, October 28. Enhancements include Level of Evidence (LOE) ratings and strength of recommendation for oncology off-label use determinations, as well as a Pregnancy and Lactation module. Read more.

Level of Evidence (LOE) Added to Clinical Pharmacology

Clinical Pharmacology, as part of compliance with requirements as a CMS compendium for Oncology Off-Label Use, is now providing additional transparency and information regarding the off-label indications for oncology drugs. Utilizing established evidence-based medicine techniques following the GRADE
system, Clinical Pharmacology now provides additional Level of Evidence data that provides background regarding the studies evaluated in regards to the drug’s off-label use. Read more.

ToxED Redesign: New Interface and Other Enhancements

ToxED, the leading point-of-care solution for poison and drug emergencies, has a new interface and navigation tools to provide a better user experience, allowing you to find critical information faster and more intelligently. Read more.

A New FormChecker Update Now Available

The new update to FormChecker, our formulary management and communication system for hospitals, has been updated with new formulary pages, black box warnings, first-time generics, and new links to MedGuides. Read more.

• Elsevier/Gold Standard Editor-in-Chief Writes on Meaningful Use and Medication for Healthcare IT News
• Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Regulations Finalized
• Health Affairs Blog Provides Good Insights on New ACO Regulations
• NCPA on Pharmacy Role in Future ACO’s
• New Thinking on Drug Price Benchmark from GlassBox Analytics
• HIMSS Finds Majority of Hospitals Don’t Qualify for Meaningful Use

Pricing Made Transparent, a fascinating new look at drug price benchmarks from GlassBox Analytics reviews the current state of drug price types and offers a new alternative to meet all industry criteria for a new benchmark.

Despite the availability of drug decision support for two decades, clinicians consistently cite unnecessary alerts (“alert fatigue”) as a major barrier to effective use.  Clearing the Way for Effective Drug Decision Support provides insights into pain points caused by alert-related issues, and illustrates a new tool for vastly improving the way you manage medication alerts.

Drug Pricing and the Future of AWP features Kay Morgan on the Average Wholesale Price (AWP), the industry standard for drug pricing in negotiating contracts and adjudicating claims, and how it is being challenged as the best choice to meet the needs of an industry facing demands for cost control and accountability.
Making the connection: How providers are using information technology to link disparate components of their organizations to share clinical and financial data. View now to learn what IT leaders are doing to prepare for patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations, as well as how health information exchange can improve both quality of care and the bottom line.