OIG Report on Medicare Part B Drug Prices
The OIG has issued a report comparing first-quarter 2008 average sales prices (ASPs) and average manufacturer prices (AMPs) and associated Medicare reimbursement for the third quarter of 2008. In the report, the OIG identified 41 HCPCS drug codes with ASPs that exceeded AMP by at least 5 percent in the first quarter of 2008. If reimbursement amounts for these 41 codes had been based on 103 percent of the AMPs, Medicare expenditures would have been reduced by $7.8 million during the third quarter of 2008 alone. The OIG could not compare ASPs and AMPs for 76 HCPCS codes because of missing AMP data; the OIG is working with CMS to evaluate and pursue appropriate actions against those manufacturers that fail to submit required data.
