December 18, 2007

District Court Blocks AMP Implementation

Late Friday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit brought by NCPA & NACDS against Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  The injunction effectively delays the immediate implementation of the new Average Manufacturers Price (AMP) as a basis for Medicaid generic reimbursement.

APA will continue to provide additional information on this issue as it becomes available.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Door Forum Discussing DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Wednesday, December 19th 1:00PM

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a Special Open Door Forum (ODF) on December 19, 2007 from 1:00 – 2:30PM to announce accreditation deadlines for all Part B suppliers, including pharmacists.  These deadlines are not limited to the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding program.  This ODF will be followed up with a series of conference calls to educate DMEPOS suppliers and referral agents on the accreditation process.  CMS will announce:

         The deadline by which new suppliers must apply to the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) for a supplier number in order to qualify for a special accreditation grace period;

         The deadline by which new DMEPOS suppliers who qualified for the accreditation grace period will need to be accredited; and

         The deadline by which all DMEPOS suppliers will need to be accredited.

To participate, dial 1-800-837-1935 and reference conference ID 27829970.  For those who cannot listen live, an encore recording of this call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-642-1687 and entering the conference ID beginning 2 hours after the call has ended. The recording will expire after 4 business days. 

CCRx To Change 2008 Generic Incentive Structure

APA learned today that Community CCRx will be changing their 2008 generic incentive structure.  The details of the plan are scheduled to be announced this week.  APA questions the wisdom of these changes and through discussions with CCRx has called the potential changes “ill-advised.”   More information about the program will be available in the coming days.