CMS Releases Final Prescription Drug Benefit Marketing Guidelines For 2007

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Article Date: 01 Aug 2006 - 5:00 PDT

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CMS this week published final 2007 marketing guidelines for Medicare prescription drug plans, CQ HealthBeat reports. The final guidelines reflect feedback the agency received during a public comment period, including clarifications of certain policies and agency efforts to address potential problems or changes in policy (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27). In the draft guidelines, which were released in May, CMS said insurers sponsoring Medicare drug plans in 2007 will continue to be allowed to partner with outside organizations to promote their products but will not be permitted to list the organizations' logos on beneficiaries' prescription drug cards. The draft guidelines said drug plans that form co-branding relationships for 2007 must include the phrase "other pharmacies/physicians/providers are available in our network." In addition, any co-branding relationships that involve compensation between the drug plan and the organization or that could involve the referral of beneficiaries to a particular drug plan "should be carefully scrutinized" for compliance with federal fraud and abuse laws, the draft guidelines said (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/25). The final version of the guidelines clarifies some policies related to co-branding, the role of marketing representatives, the submission of marketing materials to CMS, requirements for member identification cards, information on employers and unions, and value-added items and services, CMS said (CQ HealthBeat, 7/27).

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