The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is falling short when it comes to marketing its Medicare prescription drug plan, according to a new report by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General.
According to the OIG, the CMS Part D marketing materials and enrollment forms leave out information on how qualifying low income beneficiaries can receive subsidies for Part D. In addition, many marketing materials lack hours of operation and phone numbers for deaf persons.
The September OIG report said 85 percent of the Medicare Part D marketing materials put out by CMS violate at least one federal guideline.
Seventy-nine percent of advertisements with pharmacy co-branding failed to include a required statement that other pharmacies are also available, the OIG reported. In addition, the report said, 42 percent of pharmacy directories did not describe the process for a beneficiary to obtain a prescription if mail order service is delayed, and 17 percent of CMS's lists of comprehensive formularies, which are organized by therapeutic class, failed to include a required alphabetical index of drugs, potentially hindering beneficiaries' ability to find information about their drugs.
The CMS didn't review its 2006 model marketing material until April 2008. In addition, reviews of marketing materials lacked consistency across regions, the OIG said.
OIG officials recommended that any new CMS marketing material include summaries of benefits and a more accurate guide to Part D plans. All new CMS marketing materials on Part D should be reviewed on a more frequent basis, the OIG said
CMS officials agreed with the recommendations and said the agency has already started working to improve oversight of its marketing materials.
The OIG's findings follow other criticism that Part D coverage does not adequately provide needed prescriptions to seniors. A study released August 21 by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicated 3.4 million Part D enrollees, including many with serious medical conditions, reached a coverage gap in 2007, leading some to stop treatment.
Do you think Medicare Part D could use some improvement? Share your thoughts with Senior Editor Diana Manos at diana.manos@medtechpublishing.com.