The Medicare clinical lab fee schedule (CLFS) in the U.S. has gone through some twists and convolutions in connection with the rate reset effort, but the suite of expensive, high-end tests is another source of spending concern. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) examined that question recently and is considering several possible solutions. Among these are a fixed-rate deflation metric from a starting price point and bundling with a provider’s bundled payment program, two possible solutions that each carry their own set of headaches.
Attributing recent reductions in certain U.S. prescription drug prices to intense congressional scrutiny rather than a biopharma industry commitment to affordability, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) said Congress must put more guardrails in place and restructure how the industry does business.
Omnivision Technologies Inc. has developed the first all-in-one RGB-infrared image sensor designed for medical use. The OHO2A1S sensor offers simultaneous white-light RGB and infrared monochrome captures in one complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor, enabling endoscopes used in oncology to be produced with just one sensor, reducing the size, cost and heat output of the devices.
Rather than the in-your-face, blame-and-shame show that was expected, the Sept. 30 drug pricing hearing before the U.S. House Oversight Committee was more a reminder of the policy differences between Democrats and Republicans on how best to make prescription drugs more affordable.
The governor’s signature brought California a step closer to realizing state officials’ dream of having their own generic and biosimilar drug label. In signing the California Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act into law Sept. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the legislation as a way to break down market barriers to affordable prescription drug prices. “Our bill will help inject competition back into the generic drug marketplace – taking pricing power away from big pharmaceutical companies and returning it to consumers,” he said.
The U.S. pathway for legally importing certain prescription drugs from Canada to take advantage of lower prices is closer to opening for business with the FDA issuing a final rule and guidance on making it happen.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed some changes to national coverage policies for left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and artificial hearts, the latter of which would no longer be covered under a national coverage determination. The proposal to allow Medicare administrative contractors (MAC) to make coverage decisions for artificial hearts on a case-by-case basis clanged across both industry and medical societies, which cited data collection problems and inequalities in access as reasons the existing coverage policy should remain in place.
The U.S. FDA’s Accreditation Scheme for Conformity Assessment (ASCA) program is intended to foster med-tech regulatory harmonization, but stakeholders saw a number of issues with the September 2019 ASCA draft guidance.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a proposed rule for coverage of FDA-designated breakthrough devices, a programmatic objective that has been front and center for the agency for several years. However, Tamara Syrek Jensen, director of the Coverage and Analysis Group (CAG) at CMS, said the proposal to redefine the term “reasonable and necessary” may be the more critical piece of the proposed rule because it would give the agency unprecedented flexibility in covering a broad swath of medical technologies.
Before authorizing or licensing any COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. FDA will hold a public advisory committee meeting on that vaccine, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said at a Sept. 23 hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
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