PART D PROPOSAL PUSHES REAL-TIME PRICING DATA: Health IT wonks eagerly awaiting interoperability rulings from CMS and ONC were disappointed Monday when the Trump administration kicked out a Medicare Part D rule instead, though there were a few data-related tidbits after all, Morning eHealth’s Darius Tahir reports.
In its proposal, CMS suggests requiring Part D insurance plans to provide real-time access to drug pricing data by Jan. 1 2020. The widget providing access — called a real-time benefit tool — would connect with doctors’ EHRs or e-prescription software and allow consumers to determine the price for a given drug and various alternatives.
The agency believes such information will allow patients and their doctors to choose the most appropriate drug, thereby saving both the government and consumers money — as well as, potentially, improving medication adherence.
Still, Darius notes, it’s not clear how much the tool will actually help. An American Medical Association report says the experience of such real-time drug pricing information is “mixed,” though the doctors’ trade group supports price transparency. CMS itself concedes that it doesn’t have data on savings and says the cost of implementing software might outweigh the benefits. Pros can read the rest of Darius’ story here.
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… For those still hoping the interoperability rules will drop before ONC’s annual meeting, there’s still time before the Thursday kick-off. Lawmakers and HHS officials will convene at the gathering. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s office tells Morning eHealth that he plans to discuss EHRs and ways the HELP committee he chairs can improve health IT, and the implementation of the 21st Century Cures Law. Sen. Tammy Baldwin will talk about using EHRs to “empower patients and their providers, and improve health care efficiency and the quality of care,” her staff says.
Date: December 4, 2018
Source: Politico
