On May 3, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Blog posted a delay to the implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. CMS stated that, in order to provide time for organizations to prepare for data submission and to sufficiently address the important input CMS received during the rulemaking process, CMS will not require data collection by applicable manufacturers and applicable group purchasing organizations before January 1, 2013. During the 60 day comment period following publication on December 19, 2011 of a proposed rule implementing the Act, CMS received over 300 comments from a wide range of stakeholders.
The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which was included as section 6002 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, sets forth transparency reporting requirements with regard to payments or gifts to physicians and teaching hospitals made by pharmaceutical, biological, medical device and medical supply manufacturers covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as ownership and investment interests between physicians, manufacturers and group purchasing organizations. CMS intends to release the final rule later this year.