CMS solidified changes to the Open Payments program in its 2022 Medicare physician fee schedule final rule.
The program requires drug and devicemakers to report payments to physicians, teaching hospitals and other providers.The changes, finalized Nov. 2, aim to support the usability and integrity of this data for the public, researchers and CMS.
Here are the finalized changes:
- Addition of a mandatory payment context field for records to teaching hospitals
- Addition of the option to recertify annually even when no records are being reported
- Disallowing record deletions without a substantiated reason
- Addition of a definition for a physician-owned distributorship as manufacturers and group purchasing organizations
- Requirement of drug and devicemakers and group purchasing organizations to update their contact information
- Disallowing publication delays for general payment records
- Clarifying the exception for short-term loans
- Removing the option to submit and attest to general payment records with an "ownership" nature of payment category