Idea of the Day: Expand the Collection of Medicare Part D Plan Performance Measures

December 22, 2008

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The set of Medicare Part D plan performance measures being collected should be expanded, especially in the areas of access to drugs and quality. Access measures should include data on how often beneficiaries fail to get a drug after providing a prescription to a pharmacy and whether they get an alternative drug. More complete measures of the use and outcomes of exceptions and appeals also should be collected. At the same time, quality measures need to be developed, tested, and then collected. Key measures should consider whether beneficiaries are receiving appropriate drug treatments and whether inappropriate treatments are avoided.

For more information on this topic, please see:

• Data-Driven Drug Coverage: Harnessing Information for a Better Medicare Prescription Drug Program by Jack Hoadley, Ph.D.