Important Links

You may want to visit the following links for additional information. Please contact us at info@kidneydrugcoverage.org if you have others that might be helpful.

Fact Sheets, Articles and Tools

Fact sheets on Medicare Part D for people with limited income and resources from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/lir.asp
Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Regions map from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/mmaregions/mapdpregions.pdf
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Information for Providers from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a growing list of articles on Medicare Part D, including information for physicians and their staff http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/drugcoverage.asp
Medicare Rx Partner Center from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a wealth of generic information about Medicare Part D including fact sheets, posters, presentations, etc. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/partnerships/
Gearing Up: States Face the New Medicare Law, Is Your State Ready for 2006 ? from Families USA http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/Issue_1_Part_D_sans_gears.pdf?docID=4401
Fact sheets and other resources on Medicare Part D from Kaiser Family Foundation http://www.kff.org/medicare/rxdrugdebate.cfm
States And Advocates Should Prepare For Medicare Part D Now fromMedicare Advocacy http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/PrescDrugs_PlanForPartDNow.htm
Medicare Reform: Understanding Its Implications to Patients and Their Medication Coverage from NATCO explains Part D coverage of immunosuppressive drugs http://www.natco1.org/InTouchCMSArticleforwebsite.pdf.pdf
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Public Law 108-173 from National Kidney Foundation http://www.kidney.org/general/pubpol/pdf/HR1.pdf
Information for organizations from Social Security, includes fact sheets, leaflets, worksheets, calculator, application and posters in English, Spanish & 14 other languages PowerPoint & Flash presentations on Part D, state program orientation manual http://www.ssa.gov/organizations/medicareoutreach2/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and Answers

Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage database of questions asked by consumers and providers http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/drugcoveragefaqs.asp
Medicare Modernization Act Creditable Coverage page defines creditable coverage and includes links to creditable coverage notices from employers, Medigap plans, etc. Someone with creditable coverage can join Part D late without paying a higher premium http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/Credcovrg.asp

Manuals or Instructions

American Society of Transplant Surgeons fact sheet on transplant drugs under Part B, with drug card, and Medicare Part D for both kidney and other organ transplants with a chart http://www.asts.org/immunochartrevised.cfm
Qualified SPAP Guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesis a 6-page document that describes the guidelines under which State Pharmacy Assistance Programs must operate in regard to Medicare Part D http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/states/whatsnew.asp

Presentations

Prescription Drug Coverage for Providers is a Medlearn Matters tutorial http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/drugcoverage.asp
Medicare and the New Prescription Drug Benefit fromKaiser Family Foundation’s tutorial is narrated by Tricia Neuman, formerly on the staff of the Senate Finance Committee http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/medicare%20drugs/Rx%20drugs%2012-04.html

Projects

ESRD Outpatient Medications Project by ESRD Network 8 provided information to CMS on drugs that people with kidney failure need or should not have to help in establishing drugs to be on PDP formularies http://www.esrdnetwork8.org/medications/

Reports and Testimony

Medicare Chart Book, Chapter 5 Medicare and Prescription Drugs from Kaiser Family Foundation provides data on prescription drug use by income, drug coverage status, plus information on non-adherence behaviors by number of prescriptions, health conditions, maps of Prescription Drug Program regions and State Prescription Assistance Programs. http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/Medicare-Chart-Book-3rd-Edition-Summer-2005-Section-5.pdf
Implementing the Medicare drug benefit: Formulary and plan transition issues from MedPAC’s June 2004 report to Congress http://www.medpac.gov/publications%5Ccongressional_reports%5CJune04_ch1.pdf
National Kidney Foundation’s Comment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the prescription drug benefit related to people with kidney disease http://www.kidney.org/general/pubpol/pdf/CMS-4068-P.pdf

Searchable databases

Patient Log for Medicare Part D (Excel)
Patient Drug Coverage History Form (Excel)

State Information fromFamilies USA includes a database for each state of health contacts, state government links, and news related to health developments http://www.familiesusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=States_States1

External links to other Internet sites are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. The appearance of external links is not an endorsement by the Kidney Medicare Drugs Awareness and Education Initiative. We cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of any of these external links. Please contact the external site directly if you have questions.