Dr Crescent Moore Outlines Part D Changes to Expect in 2020

Crescent Moore, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, senior consultant, BluePeak Advisors, discusses changes to Medicare Part D expected to come in 2020 and their implications.

Transcript

What changes to Medicare Part D should we expect to see in the coming year, and what will their implications likely be?

For 2020, I definitely think we’ll continue to see plan sponsors continue their opioid efforts as it is a top priority not only for CMS but also for the administration. Additionally, I think we’re going to see more plans move into administering the Part B step therapy, especially since for 2019, the memo came out a little late in the year for plans to really be able to jump on it quickly, and additionally with us having some more guidance coming this year, I think plans will definitely be ready for it for 2020. Indication-based formularies, I think it it’s not necessarily going to be a big, widespread adoption. I think we’re going to see plan sponsors maybe pilot it in a few therapeutic areas to really just see how it goes, how hard or how easy it is to administer, but at the end of the day, I think what we’re all trying to move towards and what we’re really hoping to see is some lower drug costs and better outcomes for our members.