News Brief: Injectable Cancer Drugs Rake In Pass-Through Dough

But don't get used to the money just yet
CMS has added five new medications and one new technology to the pass-through payment list, effective July 1 -- but because the agency doesn't have enough cost information yet, the current reimbursement amount could change.
Four of the five new drugs are injectable therapies for cancer patients: Pemetrexed, Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, and Abarelix, some of which hopefully come with a nickname. You'll also score pass-through payment for Omalizumab, an injectable medication for allergy-induced asthma.
If you administered any of these drugs before the July 1 implementation of pass-through, you can still earn a decent payback: Submit adjustment bills, and you'll receive 95 percent of the medication's average wholesale price (AWP). Check out the CMS program transmittals R194CPand R195CP, available online at www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals.

- Published on 2004-07-09