CMS has posted a white paper on "Potential Conflict of Interest in the Production of Drug Compendia" produced by the Duke Evidence-based Practice Center under contract to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The report addresses, among other things: where in the compendia processes conflict of interest may arise; an "ethical framework" for evaluating potential conflicts; a review of the conflict of interest policies of the four compendia used in Medicare coverage determinations; and a discussion of the adequacy of current compendia approaches and ways to minimize conflicts of interest.