Radar on Drug Benefits

‘Shell Game’ or Rebate Maximizers? FTC Probe Reignites Debate Over GPOs

  • May 25
    Popup Image

    May 25, 2023

    When the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 17 that it ordered Zinc Health Services, LLC, and Ascent Health Services, LLC, to turn over their business records, it was just the latest salvo in a rising tide of scrutiny directed at PBM-affiliated group purchasing organizations (GPOs).

    One former FTC official says the agency has a range of powers it can wield to find out more about PBM-linked GPOs — and even potentially change how they do business. Yet the PBMs that own and use such rebate-aggregating organizations say their reputation as shadowy, overseas entities belies the GPOs’ simple goal of extracting larger drug discounts from manufacturers.

    Read more
      • Radar on Drug Benefits
    © 2024 MMIT

    • Leslie Small

    Leslie has been working in journalism since 2009 and reporting on the health care industry since 2014. She has covered the many ups and downs of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the failed health insurer mega-mergers, and hundreds of other storylines spanning subjects such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored insurance, and prescription drug coverage. As the managing editor of Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits, she writes and edits for both publications while overseeing a small team of reporters who also focus on the managed care sector. Before joining AIS Health, she was a senior editor for the e-newsletter Fierce Health Payer, and she started her career as a copy editor at multiple local newspapers. She graduated with a dual degree in journalism and political science from Penn State University.

    Back to Radar on Drug Benefits

Related Posts

The Latest
Premium Categories
Meet Our Reporters

Lauren Flynn Kelly

Executive Editor, AIS Health, and Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage

View Lauren Flynn Kelly's Profile

Angela Maas

Managing Editor, Radar on Specialty Pharmacy and Spotlight on Market Access

View Angela Maas's Profile

Leslie Small

Managing Editor, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Leslie Small's Profile

Tim Casey

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Tim Casey’s Profile

Carina Belles

Reporter, Radar on Medicare Advantage and Spotlight on Market Access

View Carina Belles's Profile

Jinghong Chen

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Jinghong Chen's Profile

Jill Drachenberg

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Jill Drachenberg's Profile

Meet Our Reporters

Lauren Flynn Kelly

Executive Editor, AIS Health, and Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage

View Lauren Flynn Kelly's Profile

Angela Maas

Managing Editor, Radar on Specialty Pharmacy and Spotlight on Market Access

View Angela Maas's Profile

Leslie Small

Managing Editor, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Leslie Small's Profile

Tim Casey

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Tim Casey’s Profile

Carina Belles

Reporter, Radar on Medicare Advantage and Spotlight on Market Access

View Carina Belles's Profile

Jinghong Chen

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Jinghong Chen's Profile

Jill Drachenberg

Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits

View Jill Drachenberg's Profile

Tags
PBMs/Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Legislation & Regulation
Drug Pricing
Drug Rebates
×

PREMIUM CONTENT AND PREMIUM INSIGHTS

To gain access to this article you need to have a Premium Subscription.
Click the link below to access today!