Congress has recently increased its scrutiny of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (“PBMs”), coinciding with a crucial policy shift by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) that appears promising for independent pharmacies and other providers seeking... Read More
On February 9, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a memorandum (the “Memorandum”) setting forth CMS’s proposed methods for calculating so-called “Inflation Rebates” as mandated by the recent Inflation... Read More
On January 15, 2023, the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (the “Department”) issued a report titled “Act No. 131 (2022) Report: Pharmacy Benefit Management” (the “Report”). As the title suggests, the Department was required... Read More
On February 16, 2023, the Senate Commerce Committee held a full committee hearing titled “Bringing Transparency and Accountability to Pharmacy Benefit Managers.” The purpose of the hearing was to hear from industry actors as the Committee... Read More
In part one of this article series, Frier Levitt dissected the May 9, 2022, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rule (Final Rule) entitled, “Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare... Read More
On Friday, June 17, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor (the Committee) issued a letter (the Letter) requesting the Hon. Gene L. Dodaro, U.S. Comptroller General and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study... Read More
Recent CMS agency rulemaking has essentially eliminated pharmacy Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees beginning in Plan Year 2024. Providers “in the know,” however, are not cheering. Our more technical article on the rulemaking is... Read More
On May 9, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Final Rule (Final Rule) entitled, “Contract Year 2023 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs.” ... Read More
Last week, the FTC announced an investigation of six large PBMs in the U.S., sending orders for information and records on business practices. The study will focus on a series of practices used by PBMs and their role in the drug system. The agency... Read More
On Monday, June 6, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted unanimously to approve a “6(b)” study into the anti-competitive and abusive practices of Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs), a move that has the potential to lead to significant... Read More
