Bill proposes paying hospitals for maintaining drug stockpiles

Following an HHS proposal, a Senate committee penned a bill to incentivize hospitals and other healthcare supply chain stakeholders for their drug shortage mitigation strategies, including stockpiles.

The legislation, titled the Drug Shortage Prevention and Mitigation Act, would create a federal program that financially rewards hospitals with "transparent, reliable and resilient purchasing practices," the Senate Committee on Finance said in a May 3 news release.