FDA Issues Warnings to Compounding Pharmacies on Distribution of Hormone Products
Following the adoption by the American Medical Association (AMA) of the Society’s bioidentical hormone position statement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to three independent compounding pharmacies in December of last year. The letters warn the pharmacies to disengage from one or more of a number of violations, including producing hormone medications that are copies or essentially copies of FDA-approved versions, producing compounded hormones for mass sale rather than for individuals by prescription, or engaging in illegal interstate commerce by shipping products across state lines.
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NIH FY 2007 Budget Finally Set; President Signs Joint Funding Resolution
President Bush signed the Joint Funding Resolution developed by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that laid out FY 2007 funding levels for the nine agencies operating under a continuing resolution, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The House passed the spending package by a vote of 286-140 on January 31, and the Senate passed the measure on February 14 by a vote of 81-15.
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2008 Federal Budget Proposes 10% Physician Payment Cut
The proposed federal budget has projected a 10 percent cut to the physician payment rate in 2008. Much of the reason for the projected cut is based on CMS’ assumption that the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), the formula that determines physician payments, will remain intact this year.
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Family Practice Organization Encourages Physicians to Participate in Quality Reporting Program
Although many questions remain about the implementation of the quality measures reporting program, many in the field are encouraging physicians to participate when the program begins in July 2007. Not only will this allow physicians to be paid for something that they will likely be mandated to do in the future, it also allows physicians to smooth out the process in their own practices for reporting measures.
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Bill to Delay Imaging Cuts to be Introduced in House
Representatives Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Joe Pitts (R-PA), and Gene Green (D-TX) plan to introduce the “Access to Medicare Imaging Act of 2007” during the week of February 26. The bill, identical to a bill introduced in the 109th Congress that was co-sponsored by 140 representatives on both sides of the aisle, calls for a two-year moratorium on the implementation of the imaging cuts and requires a comprehensive GAO study on patient access and service issues.
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