House Committee on Health chair Rep. Jose Itibus (R-Saipan) is \u201cleaning toward supporting\u201d an outpatient pharmacy at the Commonwealth Health Center.<\/p>\n
Itibus, whose committee entertained a Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. presentation of its outpatient pharmacy idea last week, said he is all for the idea if it will help the hospital service provider generate revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to understand that CHCC was given the responsibility to generate revenue,\u201d he said. \u201cLet us give them the chance to let them prove to us that the system of an outpatient pharmacy they would be implementing [would work]. \u2026They are giving us pretty promising figures.\u201d <\/p>\n
CHCC officials have yet to make a similar presentation to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, chaired by Sen. Teresita Santos (R-Rota).<\/p>\n
Santos declined to comment without more information.<\/p>\n
At a Senate hearing Thursday on the CHCC budget, Fiscal Affairs Committee member Sen. Justo Quitugua (Ind-Saipan) said he was interested in the financials of the outpatient pharmacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are still in the planning stage and they are still working on it, so they have not yet completed their plan with the pharmacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Quitugua, Mu\u00f1a said the outpatient pharmacy is a potential revenue source.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like to see the plan. We would like to see that whatever plan they decide [to push through], it would work to benefit the people of the CNMI and at the same time generate additional revenue to improve [healthcare] services,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Quitugua reportedly asked Mu\u00f1a to submit a copy of the outpatient pharmacy plan once it is finalized.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a has been pushing for CHC\u2019s own outpatient pharmacy, citing the benefits for both the hospital and the patients in terms of improved care, low cost, and the possibility to generate revenue.<\/p>\n
According to Mu\u00f1a, CHCC is reportedly eligible to apply for the 340B pricing structure, a federal program that requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient drugs to eligible healthcare organizations or entities, allowing it to sell prescription medicine at a lower cost while earning for the hospital.<\/p>\n
According to Quitugua, the plan may also reduce the number of people who avail of off-island medical referral. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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