Pharma’s favorite summer pastime is back again: reviewing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) release of the 2025 proposed Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) and Physician Fee Schedule (PFS)...more
7/18/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reimbursements ,
Section 340B ,
Shareholders
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to take steps implementing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). Newly revised guidance issued on December 14, 2023, makes notable changes and clarifications...more
12/27/2023
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Rebates ,
Section 340B ,
Supply Chain ,
Supply Shortages
Here we are in fourth quarter of 2023 already! As companies start wrapping up 2023 and preparing and modeling for 2024, we thought it was a good time to highlight five regulatory developments, changes, or challenges on the...more
10/30/2023
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
DSCSA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
MDRP ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Pharmaceutical Industry
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance on the pharmaceutical excise tax that may apply to certain drug manufacturers, producers, and importers that fail to negotiate a drug-pricing agreement with the US...more
After many years of policy debate and attempts at proposed legislation, some of the most meaningful changes to the ways in which Medicare pays for prescription drugs – and the obligations of manufacturers selling drugs to...more
8/23/2022
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biosimilars ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Final Rules ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Medicaid Drug Rebate Program ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
New Legislation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Section 340B
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs (the Proposed Rule) on...more
1/27/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Fees ,
Medical Loss Ratio ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Modernization Act ,
Medicare Part D ,
Out-of-Pocket Expenses ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rebates ,
Social Security Act
Click the link below for our complete analysis of recent updates to the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute and their impact on health care providers.
...more
3/3/2021
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Bonuses ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Commercially Reasonable Efforts ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fair Market Value ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Profit Sharing ,
Safe Harbors ,
Stark Law ,
Value-Based Care
With the change of administrations typically comes a flurry of activity across all government agencies, and the same can be expected with the official start of the Biden Administration now well underway. What should...more
2/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Reimbursements
Final Rule largely tracks prior proposal to make significant changes to the Discount Safe Harbor and other regulatory safe harbors to the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of...more
The White House released a new Executive Order on September 13, 2020, related to drug prices titled “Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First” the September Order), whose stated purpose is to address reimbursement for...more
9/17/2020
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) ,
Mitigation ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Secretary of HHS ,
Trump Administration
CMS is soliciting comments on whether future payments for devices that may have been impacted by the COVID-19 PHE should be adjusted.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its annual proposed rule related...more
8/24/2020
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
HCPCS ,
HOPPS ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacist ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Social Security Act
The White House released three Executive Orders on July 24, 2020 setting forth policies that the Administration believes will “deliver lower prescription drug prices to American patients.” A fourth Executive Order tying...more
7/31/2020
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Drug Pricing ,
Executive Orders ,
FQHC ,
Medicare Part B ,
Medicare Part D ,
OIG ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Safety ,
Safe Harbors
On March 11, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a voluntary model within the Medicare Part D program that would allow certain Part D plans to cap Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket costs for...more
On March 10, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a memo to Medicare Advantage Organizations and Part D Sponsors to inform them of their obligations and permissible flexibilities related to disasters and...more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Contract Year 2021 and 2022 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicaid Program,...more
3/9/2020
/ Call Letter ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Medicare Part D ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Reporting Requirements
Omnicare and CVS Face Fraudulent Billing Lawsuit -
On Tuesday, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced a False Claims Act lawsuit against Omnicare, Inc. and its parent company, CVS Health...more
12/20/2019
/ CVS ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dismissals ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Government Investigations ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Part D ,
Omnicare ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Rite Aid ,
State Attorneys General ,
TRICARE ,
Whistleblowers