Part D formulary changes

Executive Summary

CMS will accept negative formulary change requests from Medicare Part D plan sponsors for the 2007 benefit year until July 31, but the agency can only guarantee that what are considered to be "maintenance" change requests will be reviewed, according to a June 20 1memo to sponsors. Maintenance revisions might include moving a brand name product to a less preferred tier after a generic version is approved or changes for safety reasons. The agency also will allow sponsors to request certain types of changes from Aug. 8-10 in the Part D formularies that have already been submitted for 2008. "Allowable" changes specified in the memo include deletion of a drug along with the corresponding addition of a drug within the same USP class at the same, or lower, beneficiary cost-sharing level...