Part B Drug Prices
The OIG has issued its quarterly report comparing Medicare Part B drug average sales prices (ASPs) and average manufacturer prices (AMPs), this one comparing third-quarter 2008 ASPs and AMPs and reviewing the impact on Medicare reimbursement for first quarter 2009. In the report, the OIG identified 36 HCPCS codes with ASPs that exceeded AMP by at least 5 percent in the third quarter of 2008. If reimbursement amounts for these 36 codes had been based on 103 percent of the AMPs, Medicare expenditures would have been reduced by $9.4 million during the first quarter of 2009. The OIG notes that could not compare ASPs and AMPs for 67 HCPCS codes because of missing AMP data; the OIG will continue to work with CMS to evaluate appropriate actions against manufacturers that fail to submit required data.
