In a news release on June 27, 2005, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an Interim Final Rule that established the now delayed Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP) for the purchasing of Medicare Part B physician injectable drugs. The CAP will be a voluntary program that allows physicians to acquire drugs from vendors who are selected through a competitive bidding process, as opposed to the current “buy and bill” system. Once CMS has published a list of vendors and the drugs they will offer, physicians may then select one vendor, obtaining all available Medicare drugs though that vendor. The vendors would then be responsible for billing Medicare and beneficiaries. The aim of the program is to reduce the time and paperwork associated with direct purchase of drugs, while in the long term reducing drug costs through the competitive bidding of vendors. Physicians will be able to elect to participate in the program once a year. Once CMS has published the CAP Final Rule, physicians can voluntarily enroll. CMS estimates the program will go into effect by July 2006.
A full copy of the CAP Interim Final is available on the Federal Register website. CMS will accept comments on the CAP Interim Final Rule as published until September 6, 2005. Nonelectronic comments regarding the program may be submitted to CMS by mail: Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-1325-IFC, PO Box 8013, Baltimore, MD 21244-8013 or by courier at: Room 445-G, Hubert Humphrey Bldg, 200 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20201; or 7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
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