Under the interim final rule, if one physician in a group practice decides to participate in the CAP, all of the physicians in that practice are forced to do so, Ronald Castellanos, M.D., chairman of the PPAC, said in an interview. This is the only requirement under Medicare where an individual determines whether a group participates, he said.
The program's launch was originally scheduled for January 2006, but it was delayed for 6 months after the CMS announced the suspension of the vendor bidding process to allow more time for review of public comments.
The agency expects to publish a final rule on the CAP in late 2005, which would reopen the bidding process. Drugs could be first delivered under the program by July 2006.