CMS Publishes ASP Rule August 5

August 5, 2004 – Included in today’s Federal Register is the long awaited proposed rule concerning implementation of the new ASP reimbursement methodology. The comment period will be open until September 24, 2004.

The proposal is included in CMS’s proposed revisions to payment policies under the physician fee schedule for 2005. In addition to changes in Medicare drug reimbursement, the proposed rule also includes suggested billing changes for bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy and it addresses several provisions of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003.

As preliminary press reports have indicated, CMS estimates that the Medicare drug revenues for hematology/oncology will decline by approximately 8 percent in 2005 as a result of the policies contained in the proposed rule. In the coming weeks, ASH will conduct a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the impact of ASP reimbursement on hematologists and will be providing comments to CMS. ASH also has been invited to share its analysis with key congressional offices. To present the most effective arguments, ASH will be soliciting help from members, particularly those who practice in a community-based setting, to provide hard data on what they currently are paying for specific drugs, their utilization rates, etc.