Government
CMS seeks input on Rx benefit
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 20, 2004
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking public comments on its new guidance for the setup of the upcoming Medicare drug benefit. The draft guidance essentially is a layman's explanation of how prescription drug plans will implement drug formularies in anticipation of their 2006 launch and how they may control medication costs thereafter. CMS will revise the guidance after issuing final regulations on the benefit in January.
Physician groups have warned that tightly controlled formularies would lead to inadequate treatment options and bureaucratic headaches for doctors. The Medicare agency has posted the draft guidance online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/12/20/gvbf1220.htm.
