DSH Adjustment Percentages Now Available on OPA Website

As a new feature on the OPA website, the agency has decided to post the names and DSH adjustment percentages of all disproportionate share hospitals in the country.  The spreadsheet, which is updated quarterly, can be found at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/opa/dshfaq.htm (click on the link to DSHQ22005.xls). PHPC has long believed that this information should be available to 340B stakeholders, and we are glad to see that OPA is now making it easily accessible.

For each entry on the spreadsheet, OPA provides the hospital's Medicare Provider #, as well as its location, bed size, and whether it is an urban or rural institution.  The chart also lists each hospital's DSH adjustment percentage and whether that percentage meets the 11.75% threshold necessary for eligibility in the 340B program.  According to the 340B statute, public hospitals that meet the 11.75 test are eligible for the program, while private non-profit hospitals must also have an agreement with state or local government to provide a specified amount of indigent care.  (Please keep in mind that some of the hospitals on the list will not qualify for 340B due to the fact that they are for-profit institutions or private non-profit hospitals that either do not have a contractual relationship with state or local government or whose contract has not been approved by OPA.)

If you have any questions about the information posted on the OPA website, please contact Perry Knight, PHPC's Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, at perry.knight@safetynetrx.org or (202) 349-4271 or PHPC Counsel Claire Holloway at claire.holloway@ppsv.com or (202) 872-6755.