Federal Programs
Call to Action! Contact CMS Today!
Call to Action! Contact CMS Today!
CMS Proposed Rule for 2015
Comments to CMS Regarding Proposed Changes to the Medicare Part D Program
Are Due by Friday, March 7, 2014 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
TPA Needs Your Help! More Importantly, YOUR PATIENTS Need Your Help!
It is critical that TPA members and the entire profession of pharmacy show our support to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding their proposed Medicare Part D program rule changes, by submitting comments to CMS electronically. As of today, CMS has received a total of only 3,570 comments in response to these proposed rule changes. Of the 1,328 public comments visible on the CMS website, only 28 indicate they were submitted by individuals in Tennessee.
A number of these proposed rules would be extremely beneficial for pharmacists providing care to patients with Medicare Part D benefits. These proposed rules were published in the Federal Register on January 10, 2014. Here is a link to the proposed rules: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-
- Preferred Cost Sharing and Any Willing Pharmacy Standard Terms & Conditions
- Prescription Drug Pricing Standards and Maximum Allowable Cost
- Expansion of Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Program Under Part D
ACTION REQUESTED:
We need every TPA member to submit a personal letter of support to CMS. TPA is asking that every TPA member take a few minutes to draft and submit a personalized letter of support for these proposed rules to CMS electronically, and to encourage your patients to show support by submitting comments as well.
Please personalize this letter with your own experiences to support the points made. It is extremely important that you customize your submission with your comments and do not simply submit the information provided “as is.” The same and very similar letters will essentially be viewed as one response.
The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has developed a sample letter for you to personalize and send as comments: https://www.tnpharm.org/wp-content/uploads/Comments-CMS_Proposed_Medicare_Part_D_Rules.doc. Note: Do not include any patient-specific, HIPAA-protected information in your comments.
HOW DO I SUBMIT A LETTER TO CMS?
- Visit www.regulations.gov and Search for RIN: 0938-AR37
- Follow the “Comment Now” submission directions for “Medicare Program: Contract Year 2015 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs.”
- Attach your completed document (Word or PDF) so as not to be limited in wordage by the text box. The category you will be submitting under will be Health Care Professional/Association – Pharmacist.
Comments will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 7, 2014.
Additionally, please contact your members of Congress and ask them to speak out in favor of the CMS proposal and to consider submitting their own comments to the docket in support of the proposed changes during the comment period. You can contact your members of Congress through the NCPA site at: http://tinyurl.com/ptuugjn.
