Current Action Alerts
This page lists current issues that you can take action on.
CMS Poised to Rescind New Avastin Reimbursement Policy
IACP wants to provide you with the latest information on the status of the CMS reimbursement policy regarding off-label use of Avastin. Thanks to the fact that agency received intense pressure from patients, the medical community and Congress, we have made good headway.
Press Release from Senator Herb Kohl
Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and key staff members met with CMS (the Center for Medicare Services) to address the issue of Medicare’s reduction of the level of reimbursement for off-label use of Avastin. CMS has indicated to Sen. Kohl that a fix is coming and more will be officially released from the agency in the next few days. IACP will report on the timing of such a "fix" and what the correction will entail. Right now, discussion with CMS staff indicates that Jan. 1 is the likely date by which any change will be made.
Although we are clearly making headway with CMS, IACP believes that we need to keep the pressure on until the policy has been decisively changed. We need to continue ALL of our efforts to support what is being done on Capitol Hill (see below) and to bring pressure to bear on the agency to correct the situation.
IACP has been aggressively working on the Avastin reimbursement issue with the American Academy of Ophthalmologists and other medical groups in Washington. Below is an update on the various activities IACP is working to achieve a reversal of the new CMS policy which has drastically cut the Medicare reimbursement levels for off-label use of Avastin.
The following activities are taking place to protect your practice and your patients:
Sen. Kohl's Letter to CMS Administrators Regarding Avastin Read More
Sen. Herb Kohl sent a letter to CMS arguing that the "new" policy on Avastin was poorly thought out and asking numerous questions of the agency's administrators.
Senate Meeting Requests to CMS
Senate staffers have requested several meetings with CMS staffers asking them to defend the new
policy and to explain their willingness to reimburse for Lucentis at $2,000 per dose, but not to fully reimburse for Avastin.
"Dear Colleague" Letter Read More
Two members of Congress, Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Virginia Brown-Waite (R-Fla.), circulated a "Dear Colleague" Letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives asking them to sign a joint letter (see next item) to CMS asking the agency to reverse this decision.
House of Representatives Letter Read More
The House of Representatives drafted a joint letter to CMS asking the agency to reverse this decision.
Patient Education Letter Read More
IACP and other medical groups are circulating a 1-800-Medicare number to patients and providers to encourage patients to report problems with Avastin to Medicare. AP Newswire Article on Avastin Read More
State Pharmacy Associations Letter to President Obama
There is a letter being drafted by state pharmacy organizations to President Obama on the CMS reimbursement issue for Avastin, urging him to step into the issue to ensure a quick reversal of the CMS policy.
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