United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Model Guidelines Source Information

Web site
http://www.usp.org/hqi/mmg/

Authority
The Medicare Model Guidelines were developed and are maintained by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Purpose
Medicare Model Guidelines were developed as a result of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) to provide categories and classes of drugs covered by Medicare Part D.

Description
Drugs are organized hierarchically by pharmacologic class within therapeutic categories. Drugs and their salt and ester variations are grouped by drug type within the pharmacologic classes.

Audience
Medicare Model Guidelines are used by CMS, Medicare beneficiaries, and Part D drug plan companies.

Update Frequency
Medicare Model Guidelines are updated every three years.

Metathesaurus Update Frequency
Medicare Model Guidelines were last updated in the Metathesaurus in 2005.

Sites Consulted

1. Medicare Model Guidelines [Internet]. Rockville (MD): The United States Pharmacopeial Convention; c2010 [cited 2010 Apr 1]. Available from: http://www.usp.org/hqi/mmg/.
2. Dill G. Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Summary of USP approach and methodology to the Model Guidelines Version 4.0 [Internet]. Rockville (MD): The United States Pharmacopeial Convention; c2010 [cited 2010 Apr 5]. 19 p. Available from: http://www.usp.org/pdf/EN/mmg/modelGuidelinesV4SummaryOfApproach.pdf