James D. Wolf Jr.
Staff Reporter May 8, 2021 1 of 4
The room where chemo drugs are mixed and stored at Logansport Memorial Hospital as seen on Thursday, April 29, 2021 in Logansport.
Photos by Jonah Hinebaugh | Pharos-Tribune
Chemotherapy drugs are stored in a refrigerated container inside Logansport Memorial Hospital’s pharmacy unit on Thursday, April 29, 2021 in Logansport.
Jonah Hinebaugh | Pharos-Tribune
Supplies, a refrigerated storage container and ventilation hood are seen in a room where chemotherapy drugs are mixed at Logansport Memorial Hospital on Thursday, April 29, 2021 in Logansport.
Jonah Hinebaugh | Pharos-Tribune
Perry Gay
LOGANSPORT The theory is that white bagging insurance companies requiring hospitals to use a specific specialty pharmacy for intensive treatments instead of the hospitals using their own resources will save money while not changing patient care.
May 6, 2021
The theory is that white bagging insurance companies requiring hospitals to use a specific specialty pharmacy for intensive treatments instead of the hospitals using their own resources will save money while not changing patient care.
Hospitals in Indiana are finding out that isn’t the reality when it comes to chemotherapy.
On April 1, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Indiana, the state’s largest health insurer, began requiring hospitals and clinics to buy chemotherapy drugs from CVS Specialty, a unit of pharmacy giant CVS Health or lower their prices to match CVS.
At Margaret Mary Health in Batesville, for example, every chemotherapy patient has seen a delay in chemotherapy medication delivery, with five patients experiencing a wait of a week or more, said Liz Leising, the hospital’s Chief Nursing Officer and Vice-President of Patient Services.