Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GAO Report: Govt.'s Reliance On AMA And Its Data Could Result In Flawed Medicare Rates
The New York Times: Federal Investigators Fault Medicare’s Reliance On Doctors For Pay Standards
The government relies too heavily on advice from the American Medical Association in deciding how much to pay doctors under Medicare, and the decisions may be biased because the doctors have potential conflicts of interest, federal investigators say in a new report. This reliance on the association, combined with flaws in data collected by the influential doctors’ group, “could result in inaccurate Medicare payment rates,” the investigators said. (Pear, 5/31)
The Associated Press: US Appeals Court: Alzheimer's Drug Swap Is Anti-Competitive
A federal appeals court has ruled that drug manufacturer Actavis PLC's attempted switch of patented Alzheimer's medication, which halted distribution of the old drug before its patent expires this summer, violates U.S. antitrust law. The decision unsealed this week explains the ruling last week by a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that requires the Irish company to keep distributing Namenda until 30 days after its patent expires on July 11. (Virtanen, 5/29)
