Press Room

The original goal of the 340B drug discount program was to allow qualified providers to “stretch federal resources as far as possible reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services.” In recent years, the program has come under scrutiny as the number of participating disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs) and their “child” affiliates have undergone tremendous growth. Nearly 1,000 DSH hospitals were participating in the program as of 2014, while the number of clinics has tripled and pharmacies has increased tenfold since 2010.

Opioid users have a significantly increased risk of infections severe enough to require treatment at the hospital, such as pneumonia and meningitis, as compared to people who don’t use opioids. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center study, released today (Feb. 11) in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that people who use opioids have a 1.62 times higher risk of invasive pneumococcal diseases.