This subpart sets forth the requirements relating to the following:

(a) Drug utilization management programs, quality assurance measures and systems, and MTM programs for Part D sponsors.

(b) Appropriate dispensing of prescription drugs in long-term care facilities under PDPs and MA-PD plans.

(c) Consumer satisfaction surveys of Part D plans.

(d) Electronic prescription drug programs for prescribers, dispensers, and Part D sponsors.

(e) Quality improvement organization (QIO) activities.

(f) Compliance deemed on the basis of accreditation.

(g) Accreditation organizations.

(h) Procedures for the approval of accreditation organizations as a basis for deeming compliance.

[70 FR 4525, Jan. 28, 2005, as amended at 70 FR 67593, Nov. 7, 2005; 76 FR 21573, Apr. 15, 2011; 89 FR 30834, Apr. 23, 2024]

(a) General rule. Each Part D sponsor must have established, for covered Part D drugs furnished through a Part D plan, a drug utilization management program, quality assurance measures and systems, and an MTM program as described in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section. No later than January 1, 2022, a Part D plan sponsor must have established a drug management program for at-risk beneficiaries enrolled in their prescription drug benefit plans to address overutilization of frequently abused drugs, as described in paragraph (f) of this section.

(b) Drug utilization management. A Part D sponsor must have established a reasonable and appropriate drug utilization management program that address all of the following:

(1) Includes incentives to reduce costs when medically appropriate.

(2) Maintains policies and systems to assist in preventing over-utilization and under-utilization of prescribed medications.

(3) Provides CMS with information concerning the procedures and performance of its drug utilization management program, according to guidelines specified by CMS.

(4)(i) Daily cost sharing rate. Subject to paragraph (b)(4)(ii) of this section, establishes a daily cost-sharing rate (as defined in § 423.100) and applies it to a prescription presented to a network pharmacy for a covered Part D drug that is dispensed for a supply less than the approved month's supply, if the drug is in the form of a solid oral dose and may be dispensed for less than the approved month's supply under applicable law.

(ii) Exceptions. The requirements of paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section do not apply to either of the following:

(A) Solid oral doses of antibiotics.

(B) Solid oral doses that are dispensed in their original container as indicated in the Food and Drug Administration Prescribing Information or are customarily dispensed in their original packaging to assist patients with compliance.

(iii) Cost-sharing—(A) Copayments. In the case of a drug that would incur a copayment, the Part D sponsor must apply cost-sharing as calculated by multiplying the applicable daily cost-sharing rate by the days' supply actually dispensed when the beneficiary receives less than the approved month's supply.

(B) Coinsurance. In the case of a drug that would incur a coinsurance percentage, the Part D sponsor must apply the coinsurance percentage for the drug to the days' supply actually dispensed.

(c) Quality assurance. A Part D sponsor must have established quality assurance measures and systems to reduce medication errors and adverse drug interactions and improve medication use that include all of the following—

(1) Representation that network providers are required to comply with minimum standards for pharmacy practice as established by the States.

(2) Concurrent drug utilization review systems, policies, and procedures designed to ensure that a review of the prescribed drug therapy is performed before each prescription is dispensed to an enrollee in a sponsor's Part D plan, typically at the point-of-sale or point of distribution. The review must include, but not be limited to,

(i) Screening for potential drug therapy problems due to therapeutic duplication.

(ii) Age/gender-related contraindications.

(iii) Over-utilization and under-utilization.

(iv) Drug-drug interactions.

(v) Incorrect drug dosage or duration of drug therapy. (vi) Drug-allergy contraindications.

(vii) Clinical abuse/misuse.

(3) Retrospective drug utilization review systems, policies, and procedures designed to ensure ongoing periodic examination of claims data and other records, through computerized drug claims processing and information retrieval systems, in order to identify patterns of inappropriate or medically unnecessary care among enrollees in a sponsor's Part D plan, or associated with specific drugs or groups of drugs.

(4) Internal medication error identification and reduction systems.

(5) Provision of information to CMS regarding its quality assurance measures and systems, according to guidelines specified by CMS.

(d) Medication therapy management (MTM) program—(1) General rule. A Part D sponsor must have established a MTM program that—

(i) Is designed to ensure that covered Part D drugs prescribed to targeted beneficiaries described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section are appropriately used to optimize therapeutic outcomes through improved medication use;

(ii) Is designed to reduce the risk of adverse events, including adverse drug interactions, for targeted beneficiaries described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section;

(iii) May be furnished by a pharmacist or other qualified provider; and

(iv) May distinguish between services in ambulatory and institutional settings.

(v) Must enroll targeted beneficiaries using an opt-out method of enrollment only.

(vi) Must target beneficiaries for enrollment in the MTM program at least quarterly during each plan year.

(vii) Must offer a minimum level of medication therapy management services for each beneficiary enrolled in the MTM program that includes all of the following:

(A) Interventions for both beneficiaries and prescribers.

(B) Annual comprehensive medication review with written summaries. (1) The beneficiary's comprehensive medication review—

(i) Must include an interactive consultation, performed by a pharmacist or other qualified provider, that is either in person or performed via synchronous telehealth; and

(ii) May result in a recommended medication action plan.

(2) If a beneficiary is offered the annual comprehensive medication review and is unable to accept the offer to participate due to cognitive impairment, the pharmacist or other qualified provider may perform the comprehensive medication review with the beneficiary's prescriber, caregiver, or other authorized individual.

(C) Quarterly targeted medication reviews with follow-up interventions when necessary.

(D) Standardized action plans and summaries that comply with requirements as specified by CMS for the standardized format.

(E) Beginning January 1, 2022, for enrollees targeted in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, provide at least annually as part of the comprehensive medication review, a targeted medication review, or other MTM correspondence or service, information about safe disposal of prescription drugs that are controlled substances, drug take back programs, in-home disposal and cost-effective means to safely dispose of such drugs.

(F) The information to be provided under paragraph (d)(1)(vii)(E) of this section must comply with all requirements of § 422.111(j) of this chapter.

(2) Targeted beneficiaries. Targeted beneficiaries for the MTM program described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section are enrollees in the sponsor's Part D plan who meet the characteristics of at least one of the following two groups:

(i)(A) Have multiple chronic diseases, with three chronic diseases being the maximum number a Part D plan sponsor may require for targeted enrollment;

(B) Are taking multiple Part D drugs, with eight Part D drugs being the maximum number of drugs a Part D plan sponsor may require for targeted enrollment; and

(C) Are likely to incur annual covered Part D drug costs greater than or equal to the MTM cost threshold determined by CMS, as specified in this paragraph (d)(2)(i)(C) of this section.

(1) For 2011, the MTM cost threshold is set at $3,000.

(2) For 2012 through 2024, the MTM cost threshold is set at $3,000 increased by the annual percentage specified in § 423.104(d)(5)(iv).

(3) For 2025, the MTM cost threshold is set at the average annual cost of eight generic drugs, as defined at § 423.4, as determined using the PDE data specified at § 423.104(d)(2)(iv)(C).

(ii) Beginning January 1, 2022, are at-risk beneficiaries as defined in § 423.100.

(iii) Beginning January 1, 2025, in identifying beneficiaries who have multiple chronic diseases under paragraph (d)(2)(i)(A) of this section, Part D plan sponsors must include all of the following diseases, and may include additional chronic diseases:

(A) Alzheimer's disease.

(B) Bone disease-arthritis (including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis).

(C) Chronic congestive heart failure (CHF).

(D) Diabetes.

(E) Dyslipidemia.

(F) End-stage renal disease (ESRD).

(G) Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

(H) Hypertension.

(I) Mental health (including depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other chronic/disabling mental health conditions).

(J) Respiratory disease (including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic lung disorders).

(iv) Beginning January 1, 2025, in identifying the number of Part D drugs under paragraph (d)(2)(i)(B) of this section, Part D plan sponsors must include all Part D maintenance drugs, relying on information in a widely accepted, commercially or publicly available drug database to make such determinations, and may include all Part D drugs.

(3) Use of experts. The MTM program must be developed in cooperation with licensed and practicing pharmacists and physicians.

(4) Coordination with care management plans. The MTM program must be coordinated with any care management plan established for a targeted individual under a chronic care improvement program (CCIP) under section 1807 of the Act. A Part D sponsor must provide drug claims data to CCIPs for those beneficiaries that are enrolled in CCIPs in a manner specified by CMS.

(5) Considerations in pharmacy fees. An applicant to become a Part D sponsor must—

(i) Describe in its application how it takes into account the resources used and time required to implement the MTM program it chooses to adopt in establishing fees for pharmacists or others providing MTM services for covered Part D drugs under a Part D plan.

(ii) Disclose to CMS upon request the amount of the management and dispensing fees and the portion paid for MTM services to pharmacists and others upon request. Reports of these amounts are protected under the provisions of section 1927(b)(3)(D) of the Act.

(6) MTM program reporting. A Part D sponsor must provide CMS with information regarding the procedures and performance of its MTM program, according to guidelines specified by CMS.

(e) Exception for private fee-for-service MA plans offering qualified prescription drug coverage. In the case of an MA plan described in § 422.4(a)(3) of this chapter providing qualified prescription drug coverage, the requirements under paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section do not apply.

(f) Drug management programs. A drug management program must meet all the following requirements:

(1) Written policies and procedures. A sponsor must document its drug management program in written policies and procedures that are approved by the applicable P&T committee and reviewed and updated as appropriate. In the case of a Part D sponsor, including a PACE organization, without its own or a contracted P&T committee because it does not use a formulary, the written policies and procedures described in this section must be approved by the Part D sponsor's medical director as described at § 423.562(a)(5) (or, for a PACE organization, at § 460.60(b)) and applicable clinical and other staff or contractors as determined appropriate by the medical director. These policies and procedures must address all aspects of the sponsor's drug management program, including but not limited to the following:

(i) The appropriate credentials of the clinical staff conducting case management required under paragraph (f)(2) of this section, including that the staff must have a current and unrestricted license to practice within the scope of his or her profession in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United Stated (that is, Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.

(ii) The necessary and appropriate contents of files for case management required under paragraph (f)(2) of this section, which must include documentation of the substance of prescriber and beneficiary contacts.

(iii) Monitoring reports and notifications about incoming enrollees who meet the definition of an at-risk beneficiary or a potential at-risk beneficiary in § 423.100 and responding to requests from other sponsors for information about at-risk beneficiaries and potential at-risk beneficiaries who recently disenrolled from the sponsor's prescription drug benefit plan.

(2) Case management/clinical contact/prescriber verification—(i) General rule. The sponsor's clinical staff must conduct case management for each potential at-risk beneficiary for the purpose of engaging in clinical contact with the prescribers of frequently abused drugs and verifying whether a potential at-risk beneficiary is an at-risk beneficiary. Except as provided in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section, the sponsor must do all of the following:

(A) Send written information to the beneficiary's prescribers that the beneficiary met the clinical guidelines and is a potential at risk beneficiary.

(B) Elicit information from the prescribers about any factors in the beneficiary's treatment that are relevant to a determination that the beneficiary is an at-risk beneficiary, including whether prescribed medications are appropriate for the beneficiary's medical conditions or the beneficiary is an exempted beneficiary.

(C) In cases where prescribers have not responded to the inquiry described in paragraph (f)(2)(i)(B) of this section, make reasonable attempts to communicate with the prescribers telephonically and/or by another effective communication method designed to elicit a response from the prescribers within a reasonable period after sending the written information.

(ii) Exception for identification by prior plan. If a beneficiary was identified as a potential at-risk or an at-risk beneficiary by his or her most recent prior plan and such identification has not been terminated in accordance with paragraph (f)(14) of this section, the sponsor meets the requirements in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section, so long as the sponsor obtains case management information from the previous sponsor and such information is still clinically adequate and up to date.

(3) Limitation on access to coverage for frequently abused drugs. Subject to the requirements of paragraph (f)(4) of this section, a Part D plan sponsor may do any or all of the following:

(i) Implement a point-of-sale claim edit for frequently abused drugs that is specific to an at-risk beneficiary.

(ii) In accordance with paragraphs (f)(9) and (13) of this section, limit an at-risk beneficiary's access to coverage for frequently abused drugs to those that are—

(A) Prescribed for the beneficiary by one or more prescribers;

(B) Dispensed to the beneficiary by one or more network pharmacies; or

(C) Both.

(iii)(A) If the sponsor implements an edit as specified in paragraph (f)(3)(i) of this section, the sponsor must not cover frequently abused drugs for the beneficiary in excess of the edit, unless the edit is terminated or revised based on a subsequent determination, including a successful appeal.

(B) If the sponsor limits the at-risk beneficiary's access to coverage as specified in paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section, the sponsor must cover frequently abused drugs for the beneficiary only when they are obtained from the selected pharmacy(ies) or prescriber(s) or both, as applicable—

(1) In accordance with all other coverage requirements of the beneficiary's prescription drug benefit plan, unless the limit is terminated or revised based on a subsequent determination, including a successful appeal; and

(2) Except as necessary to provide reasonable access in accordance with paragraph (f)(12) of this section.

(4) Requirements for limiting access to coverage for frequently abused drugs. (i) A sponsor may not limit the access of an at-risk beneficiary to coverage for frequently abused drugs under paragraph (f)(3) of this section, unless the sponsor has done all of the following:

(A) Conducted case management as required by paragraph (f)(2) of this section and updated it, if necessary.

(B) Except in the case of a pharmacy limitation imposed pursuant to paragraph (f)(3)(ii)(B) of this section, obtained the agreement of at least one prescriber of frequently abused drugs for the beneficiary that the specific limitation is appropriate.

(C) Provided the notices to the beneficiary in compliance with paragraphs (f)(5) and (6) of this section.

(ii)(A) Except as provided in paragraph paragraph (f)(3)(ii)(A) of this sectionregarding a prescriber limitation, if the sponsor has complied with the requirement of paragraph paragraph (f)(2)(i)(B) of this section about attempts to reach prescribers, and the prescribers were not responsive after 3 attempts by the sponsor to contact them within 10 business days, then the sponsor has met the requirement of paragraph (f)(4)(i)(B) of this section for eliciting information from the prescribers.

(B) The sponsor may not implement a prescriber limitation pursuant to paragraph (f)(3)(ii)(A) of this section if no prescriber was responsive.

(5) Initial notice to a beneficiary. (i) After conducting the case management required by paragraph (f)(2) of this section, a Part D sponsor that intends to limit the access of a potential at-risk beneficiary, or subject to the exception in paragraph (f)(8)(ii) of this section, of an at-risk beneficiary (as defined in subparagraph (2) of the definition in § 423.100), to coverage for frequently abused drugs under paragraph (f)(3) of this section must provide an initial written notice to the beneficiary.

(ii) The notice must do all of the following:

(A) Use language approved by the Secretary.

(B) Be in a readable and understandable form.

(C) Provide all of the following information:

(1) An explanation that the beneficiary's current or immediately prior Part D plan sponsor has identified the beneficiary as a potential at-risk beneficiary.

(2) A description, of all State and Federal public health resources that are designed to address prescription drug abuse to which the beneficiary has access, including mental health and other counseling services and information on how to access such services, including any such services covered by the plan under its Medicare benefits, supplemental benefits, or Medicaid benefits (if the plan integrates coverage of Medicare and Medicaid benefits).

(3) An explanation of the beneficiary's right to a redetermination if the sponsor issues a determination that the beneficiary is an at-risk beneficiary and the standard and expedited redetermination processes described at §§ 423.582 and 423.584, including notice that if on redetermination the plan sponsor affirms its denial, in whole or in part, the case must be automatically forwarded to the independent review entity contracted with CMS for review and resolution.

(4) A request that the beneficiary submit to the sponsor within 30 days of the date of this initial notice any information that the beneficiary believes is relevant to the sponsor's determination, including which prescribers and pharmacies the beneficiary would prefer the sponsor to select if the sponsor implements a limitation under paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section.

(5) An explanation of the meaning and consequences of being identified as an at-risk beneficiary, including the following:

(i) An explanation of the sponsor's drug management program, the specific limitation the sponsor intends to place on the beneficiary's access to coverage for frequently abused drugs under the program.

(ii) The timeframe for the sponsor's decision.

(iii) If applicable, any limitation on the availability of the special enrollment period described in § 423.38.

(6) Clear instructions that explain how the beneficiary can contact the sponsor, including how the beneficiary may submit information to the sponsor in response to the request described in paragraph (f)(5)(ii)(C)(4) of this section.

(7) Contact information for other organizations that can provide the beneficiary with assistance regarding the sponsor's drug management program.

(8) Other content that CMS determines is necessary for the beneficiary to understand the information required in this notice.

(iii) The Part D plan sponsor must make reasonable efforts to provide the beneficiary's prescriber(s) of frequently abused drugs with a copy of the notice required under paragraph (f)(5)(i) of this section.

(iv) If the Part D plan sponsor subsequently intends to make a change to the terms of an ongoing limitation(s) established under paragraph (f)(3) of this section, including the intention to impose an additional limitation on the at-risk beneficiary, the sponsor must comply with the requirements of paragraph (f)(3) of this section, as well as all applicable requirements for beneficiary notices described in paragraphs (f)(5) through (8) of this section.

(6) Second notice. (i) Upon making a determination that a beneficiary is an at-risk beneficiary and to limit the beneficiary's access to coverage for frequently abused drugs under paragraph (f)(3) of this section, a Part D sponsor must provide a second written notice to the beneficiary.

(ii) The second notice must do all of the following:

(A) Use language approved by the Secretary.

(B) Be in a readable and understandable form.

(C) Provide all of the following information:

(1) An explanation that the beneficiary's current or immediately prior Part D plan sponsor has identified the beneficiary as an at-risk beneficiary.

(2) An explanation that the beneficiary is subject to the requirements of the sponsor's drug management program, including—

(i) The limitation the sponsor is placing on the beneficiary's access to coverage for frequently abused drugs and the effective and end date of the limitation; and

(ii) If applicable, any limitation on the availability of the special enrollment period described in § 423.38.

(3) The prescriber(s) or pharmacy(ies) or both, if and as applicable, from which the beneficiary must obtain frequently abused drugs in order for them to be covered by the sponsor.

(4) An explanation of the beneficiary's right to a redetermination under § 423.580, including all of the following:

(i) A description of both the standard and expedited redetermination processes.

(ii) The beneficiary's right to, and conditions for, obtaining an expedited redetermination.

(iii) Notice that if on redetermination the plan sponsor affirms its denial, in whole or in part, the case must be automatically forwarded to the independent review entity contracted with CMS for review and resolution.

(5) An explanation that the beneficiary may submit to the sponsor, if the beneficiary has not already done so, the prescriber(s) and pharmacy(ies), as applicable, from which the beneficiary would prefer to obtain frequently abused drugs.

(6) Clear instructions that explain how the beneficiary may contact the sponsor, including how the beneficiary may submit information to the sponsor in response to the request described in paragraph (f)(6)(ii)(C)(5) of this section.

(7) Other content that CMS determines is necessary for the beneficiary to understand the information required in this notice.

(iii) The Part D plan sponsor must make reasonable efforts to provide the beneficiary's prescriber(s) of frequently abused drugs with a copy of the notice required by paragraph (f)(6)(i) of this section.

(7) Alternate second notice. (i) If, after providing an initial notice to a potential at-risk beneficiary under paragraph (f)(4) of this section, a Part D sponsor determines that the potential at-risk beneficiary is not an at-risk beneficiary, the sponsor must provide an alternate second written notice to the beneficiary.

(ii) The alternate second notice must do all of the following:

(A) Use language approved by the Secretary.

(B) Be in a readable and understandable form.

(C) Provide all of the following information:

(1) The sponsor has determined that the beneficiary is not an at-risk beneficiary.

(2) The sponsor will not limit the beneficiary's access to coverage for frequently abused drugs.

(3) If applicable, the SEP limitation no longer applies.

(4) Clear instructions that explain how the beneficiary may contact the sponsor.

(5) Other content that CMS determines is necessary for the beneficiary to understand the information required in this notice.

(iii) The Part D sponsor must make reasonable efforts to provide the beneficiary's prescriber(s) of frequently abused drugs with a copy of the notice required in accordance with paragraph (f)(7)(i) of this section.

(8) Notices: Timing and exceptions. (i) Subject to paragraphs (f)(8)(ii) and (iii) of this section, a Part D sponsor must provide the second notice described in paragraph (f)(6) of this section or the alternate second notice described in paragraph (f)(7) of this section, as applicable, on a date that is not less than 30 days after the date of the initial notice described in paragraph (f)(5) of this section and not more than the earlier of the following two dates:

(A) Within 3 days of the date the sponsor makes the relevant determination.

(B) Sixty days after the date of the initial notice described in paragraph (f)(5) of this section.

(ii) In the case of a beneficiary who is determined by a Part D sponsor to be exempt, the sponsor must provide the alternate second notice within 3 days of the date the sponsor makes the relevant determination, even if such determination is made less than 30 days from the date of the initial notice described in paragraph (f)(5) of this section.

(iii) A gaining plan sponsor may forgo providing the initial notice and may immediately provide a second notice described in paragraph (f)(6) of this section to an at-risk beneficiary as defined in subparagraph (2) of the definition in § 423.100), if the sponsor is implementing either of the following:

(A) A beneficiary-specific point-of-sale claim edit as described in paragraph (f)(3)(i) of this section, if the edit is the same as the one that was implemented in the immediately prior plan.

(B) A limitation on access to coverage as described in paragraph (f)(3(ii) of this section, if such limitation would require the beneficiary to obtain frequently abused drugs from the same location of pharmacy and/or the same prescriber, as applicable, that was selected under the immediately prior plan under paragraph (f)(9) of this section.

(9) Beneficiary preferences. Except as described in paragraph (f)(10) of this section, if a beneficiary submits preferences for prescribers or pharmacies or both from which the beneficiary prefers to obtain frequently abused drugs, the sponsor must do the following:

(i) Review such preferences.

(ii) If the beneficiary is—

(A) Enrolled in a stand-alone prescription drug benefit plan and specifies a prescriber(s) or network pharmacy(ies) or both, select or change the selection of prescriber(s) or network pharmacy(ies) or both for the beneficiary based on beneficiary's preference(s).

(B) Enrolled in a Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit plan and specifies a network prescriber(s) or network pharmacy(ies) or both, select or change the selection of prescriber(s) or pharmacy(ies) or both for the beneficiary based on the beneficiary's preference(s).

(iii) The sponsor must inform the beneficiary of the selection or change in—

(A) The second notice; or

(B) If the second notice is not feasible due to the timing of the beneficiary's submission, in a subsequent written notice, issued no later than 14 days after receipt of the submission.

(10) Exception to beneficiary preferences. (i) If the Part D sponsor determines that the selection or change of a prescriber or pharmacy under paragraph (f)(9) of this section would contribute to prescription drug abuse or drug diversion by the at-risk beneficiary, the sponsor may change the selection without regard to the beneficiary's preferences if there is strong evidence of inappropriate action by the prescriber, pharmacy, or beneficiary.

(ii) If the sponsor changes the selection, the sponsor must provide the beneficiary with—

(A) At least 30 days advance written notice of the change; and

(B) A rationale for the change.

(11) Reasonable access. In making the selections under paragraph (f)(12) of this section, a Part D plan sponsor must ensure that the beneficiary continues to have reasonable access to frequently abused drugs, taking into account all relevant factors, including but not limited to—

(i) Geographic location;

(ii) Beneficiary preference;

(iii) The beneficiary's predominant usage of a prescriber or pharmacy or both;

(iv) The impact on cost-sharing;

(v) Reasonable travel time;

(vi) Whether the beneficiary has multiple residences;

(vii) Natural disasters and similar situations; and

(viii) The provision of emergency services.

(12) Selection of prescribers and pharmacies. (i) A Part D plan sponsor must select, as applicable—

(A) One, or, if the sponsor reasonably determines it necessary to provide the beneficiary with reasonable access, more than one, network prescriber who is authorized to prescribe frequently abused drugs for the beneficiary, unless the plan is a stand-alone PDP, or the selection of an out-of-network provider is necessary; and

(B) One, or, if the sponsor reasonably determines it necessary to provide the beneficiary with reasonable access, more than one, network pharmacy that may dispense such drugs to such beneficiary, unless the selection of an out-of-network pharmacy is necessary.

(ii)(A) For purposes of this paragraph (f)(12) of this section, in the case of a pharmacy that has multiple locations that share real-time electronic data, all such locations of the pharmacy must collectively be treated as one pharmacy.

(B) For purposes of this paragraph (f)(12) of this section, in the case of a group practice, all prescribers of the group practice must be treated as one prescriber.

(13) Confirmation of selections(s). (i) Before selecting a prescriber or pharmacy under this paragraph, a Part D plan sponsor must notify the prescriber or pharmacy, as applicable, that the beneficiary has been identified for inclusion in the drug management program for at-risk beneficiaries and that the prescriber or pharmacy or both is(are) being selected as the beneficiary's designated prescriber or pharmacy or both for frequently abused drugs. For prescribers, this notification occurs during case management as described in paragraph (f)(2) or when the prescriber provides agreement pursuant to paragraph (f)(4)(i)(B) of this section.

(ii) The sponsor must receive confirmation from the prescriber(s) or pharmacy(ies) or both, as applicable, that the selection is accepted before conveying this information to the at-risk beneficiary, unless the pharmacy has agreed in advance in a network agreement with the sponsor to accept all such selections and the agreement specifies how the pharmacy will be notified by the sponsor of its selection.

(14) Termination of identification as an at-risk beneficiary. The identification of an at-risk beneficiary as such must terminate as of the earlier of the following:

(i) The date the beneficiary demonstrates through a subsequent determination, including but not limited to, a successful appeal, that the beneficiary is no longer likely, in the absence of the limitation under this paragraph, to be an at-risk beneficiary; or

(ii)(A) The end of a one year period calculated from the effective date of the limitation, as specified in the notice provided under paragraph (f)(6) of this section, unless the limitation was extended pursuant to paragraph (f)(14)(ii)(B) of this section.

(B) The end of a two year period calculated from the effective date of the limitation, as specified in a notice provided under paragraph (f)(6) of this section, subject to the following requirements:

(1) The plan sponsor determines at the end of the one year period that there is a clinical basis to extend the limitation;

(2) Except in the case of a pharmacy limitation imposed pursuant to paragraph (f)(3)(ii)(B) of this section, the plan sponsor has obtained the agreement of a prescriber of frequently abused drugs for the beneficiary that the limitation should be extended.

(3) The plan sponsor has provided another notice to the beneficiary in compliance with paragraph (f)(6) of this section.

(4) If the prescribers were not responsive after 3 attempts by the sponsor to contact them within 10 business days, then the sponsor has met the requirement of paragraph (f)(14)((ii)(B)(2) of this section.

(5) The sponsor may not extend a prescriber limitation implemented pursuant to paragraph (f)(3)(ii)(A) of this section if no prescriber was responsive.

(15) Data disclosure. (i) CMS identifies potential at-risk beneficiaries to the sponsor of the prescription drug plan in which the beneficiary is enrolled.

(ii) A Part D sponsor that operates a drug management program must disclose any data and information to CMS and other Part D sponsors that CMS deems necessary to oversee Part D drug management programs at a time, and in a form and manner specified by CMS. The data and information disclosures must do all of the following:

(A) Provide information to CMS within 30 days of receiving a report about a potential at-risk beneficiary from CMS.

(B) Provide information to CMS about any potential at-risk beneficiary that meets paragraph (1) of the definition in § 423.100 that a sponsor identifies within 30 days from the date of the most recent CMS report identifying potential at-risk beneficiaries;

(C) Provide information to CMS about any potential at-risk beneficiary or at-risk beneficiary that meets paragraph (2) of the definitions in § 423.100 that a sponsor identifies within 30 days from the date of the most recent CMS report identifying potential at-risk beneficiaries.

(D) Provide information to CMS as soon as possible but no later than 7 days from the date of the initial notice or second notice that the sponsor provided to a beneficiary, or as soon as possible but no later than 7 days of a termination date, as applicable, about a beneficiary-specific opioid claim edit or a limitation on access to coverage for frequently abused drugs.

(E) Transfer case management information upon request of a gaining sponsor as soon as possible but not later than 2 weeks from the gaining sponsor's request when—

(1) An at-risk beneficiary or potential at-risk beneficiary disenrolls from the sponsor's plan and enrolls in another prescription drug plan offered by the gaining sponsor; and

(2) The edit or limitation that the sponsor had implemented for the beneficiary had not terminated before disenrollment.

(16) Clinical guidelines. Potential at-risk beneficiaries and at-risk beneficiaries are identified by CMS or a Part D sponsor using clinical guidelines that—

(i) Are developed with stakeholder consultation;

(ii) Are based on:

(1) The acquisition of frequently abused drugs from multiple prescribers, multiple pharmacies, the level of frequently abused drugs used, or any combination of these factors; or

(2) Beginning January 1, 2022, a history of opioid-related overdose as determined by at least one recent claim that contains a principal diagnosis indicating opioid overdose, and at least one recent claim for an opioid medication other than an opioid used for medication assisted therapy (MAT).

(iii) Are derived from expert opinion and an analysis of Medicare data; and

(iv) Include a program size estimate.

(g) Prescription drug plan sponsors' access to Medicare Parts A and B claims data extracts. (1)(i) Beginning in plan year 2020, a PDP sponsor may submit a request to CMS for the data described in paragraph (g)(2) of this section about enrollees in its prescription drug plans.

(ii) CMS makes the data requested in paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this section available to eligible PDP sponsors, in accordance with all applicable laws. The data is provided at least quarterly on a specified release date, and in an electronic format to be determined by CMS.

(iii) If CMS determines or has a reasonable belief that the PDP sponsor has violated the requirements of this paragraph (g) or that unauthorized uses, reuses, or disclosures of the Medicare claims data have taken place, at CMS' sole discretion, the PDP sponsor may be denied further access to the data described in paragraph (g)(2) of this section.

(2) Data described. The data that may be requested under paragraph (g)(1) of this section are standardized extracts of claims data under Medicare parts A and B for items and services furnished under such parts to beneficiaries who are enrolled in a plan offered by the PDP sponsor at the time of the disclosure.

(3) Purposes. A PDP sponsor must comply with all laws that may be applicable to data received under this provision, including State and Federal privacy and security laws, and, furthermore subject to the limitations in paragraph (g)(4) of this section may only use or disclose the data provided by CMS under paragraph (g)(1) of this section for the following purposes:

(i) To optimize therapeutic outcomes through improved medication use, as such phrase is used in paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section.

(ii) To improve care coordination so as to prevent adverse health outcomes, such as preventable emergency department visits and hospital readmissions.

(iii) For activities falling under paragraph (1) of the definition of “health care operations” under 45 CFR 164.501.

(iv) For activities falling under paragraph (2) of the definition of “health care operations” under 45 CFR 164.501.

(v) For “fraud and abuse detection or compliance activities” under 45 CFR 164.506(c)(4)(ii).

(vi) For disclosures that qualify as “required by law” disclosures at 45 CFR 164.103.

(4) Limitations. A PDP sponsor must comply with the following requirements regarding the data provided by CMS under this paragraph (g):

(i) The PDP sponsor will not use the data to inform coverage determinations under Part D.

(ii) The PDP sponsor will not use the data to conduct retroactive reviews of medically accepted indications determinations.

(iii) The PDP sponsor will not use the data to facilitate enrollment changes to a different prescription drug plan or an MA-PD plan offered by the same parent organization.

(iv) The PDP sponsor will not use the data to inform marketing of benefits.

(v) The PDP sponsor will contractually bind its contractors that have access to the Medicare claims data, and require their contractors to contractually bind any other potential downstream data recipients, to the terms and conditions imposed on the PDP sponsor under this paragraph (g).

(5) Ensuring the privacy and security of data. As a condition of receiving the requested data, the PDP sponsor must attest that it will adhere to the permitted uses and limitations on the use of the Medicare claims data listed in paragraphs (g)(3) and (4) of this section.

[70 FR 4525, Jan. 28, 2005, as amended at 75 FR 19818, Apr. 15, 2010; 75 FR 32860, June 10, 2010; 76 FR 21573, Apr. 15, 2011; 77 FR 22169, Apr. 12, 2012; 80 FR 7963, Feb. 12, 2015; 83 FR 16739, Apr. 16, 2018; 84 FR 15841, Apr. 16, 2019; 86 FR 6116, Jan. 19, 2021; 89 FR 30834, Apr. 23, 2024; 89 FR 79452, Sept. 30, 2024]

(a) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, when dispensing covered Part D drugs to enrollees who reside in long-term care facilities, a Part D sponsor must—

(1) Require all pharmacies servicing long-term care facilities, as defined in § 423.100 to—

(i) Dispense solid oral doses of brand-name drugs, as defined in § 423.4, to enrollees in such facilities in no greater than 14-day increments at a time;

(ii) Permit the use of uniform dispensing techniques for Part D drugs dispensed to enrollees in long-term care facilities under paragraph (a)(1)(i) of this section as defined by each of the long-term care facilities in which such enrollees reside; and

(2) Not penalize long-term care facilities' choice of more efficient uniform dispensing techniques described in paragraph (a)(1)(ii) of this section by prorating dispensing fees based on days' supply or quantity dispensed.

(3) Ensure that any difference in payment methodology among long-term care pharmacies incentivizes more efficient dispensing techniques.

(4) Collect and report information, in a form and manner specified by CMS, on the dispensing methodology used for each dispensing event described by paragraph (a)(1) of this section.

(b) Exclusions. CMS excludes from the requirements under paragraph (a) of this section—

(1) Solid oral doses of antibiotics; or

(2) Solid oral doses that are dispensed in their original container as indicated in the Food and Drug Administration Prescribing Information or are customarily dispensed in their original packaging to assist patients with compliance (for example, oral contraceptives).

(c) Waivers. CMS waives the requirements under paragraph (a) of this section, except paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) o this section, for pharmacies when they service intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICFs/IID) and institutes for mental disease (IMDs) as defined in § 435.1010 and for I/T/U pharmacies (as defined in § 423.100).

(d) Applicability date. The applicability date for this section is January 1, 2013. Nothing precludes a Part D sponsor and pharmacy from mutually agreeing to an earlier implementation date.

(e) Unused drugs returned to the pharmacy. The terms and conditions that must be offered by a Part D sponsor under § 423.120(a)(5) must include provisions that address the disposal of drugs that have been dispensed to an enrollee in a long-term care facility but not used and which have been returned to the pharmacy, in accordance with Federal and State regulations, as well as whether return for credit and reuse is authorized where permitted under State law.

[76 FR 21573, Apr. 15, 2011, as amended at 80 FR 7963, Feb. 12, 2015; 88 FR 22337, Apr. 12, 2023]

Part D contracts with 600 or more enrollees as of July of the prior year must contract with approved Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey vendors to conduct the Medicare CAHPS satisfaction survey of Part D plan enrollees in accordance with CMS specifications and submit the survey data to CMS. Part D sponsors are not required to submit CAHPS data that would otherwise be required for the calculation of the 2021 Star Ratings.

[75 FR 19818, Apr. 15, 2010, as amended at 85 FR 19290, Apr. 6, 2020]

(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

Dispenser means a person or other legal entity licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted by the jurisdiction in which the person practices or the entity is located to provide drug products for human use by prescription in the course of professional practice.

Electronic media has the same meaning given this term in 45 CFR 160.103.

E-prescribing means the transmission using electronic media, of prescription or prescription-related information between a prescriber, dispenser, pharmacy benefit manager, or health plan, either directly or through an intermediary, including an e-prescribing network. E-prescribing includes, but is not limited to, two-way transmissions between the point of care and the dispenser.

Electronic prescription drug program means a program that provides for e-prescribing for covered Part D drugs prescribed for Part D eligible individuals.

Prescriber means a physician, dentist, or other person licensed, registered, or otherwise permitted by the U.S. or the jurisdiction in which he or she practices, to issue prescriptions for drugs for human use.

Prescription-related information means information regarding eligibility for drug benefits, medication history, or related health or drug information for Part D eligible individuals.

(b) [Reserved]

(c) Requirement. Part D sponsors must support and comply with electronic prescription standards relating to covered Part D drugs for Part D enrollees developed by CMS once final standards are effective.

(d) Promotion of electronic prescribing by MA-PD plans. An MA organization offering an MA-PD plan may provide for a separate or differential payment to a participating physician that prescribes covered Part D drugs in accordance with electronic prescription standards, including initial standards and final standards established by CMS once final standards are effective. Any payments must be in compliance with applicable Federal and State laws related to fraud and abuse, including the physician self-referral prohibition (section 1877 of the Act) and the Federal anti kickback statute (section 1128B(b) of the Act).

[70 FR 4525, Jan. 28, 2005, as amended at 70 FR 67593, Nov. 7, 2005]

(a) General rules. (1) Part D sponsors must establish and maintain an electronic prescription drug program that complies with the applicable standards in paragraph (b) of this section when transmitting, directly or through an intermediary, prescriptions and prescription-related information using electronic media for covered Part D drugs for Part D eligible individuals.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, prescribers and dispensers that transmit, directly or through an intermediary, prescriptions and prescription-related information using electronic media (including entities transmitting prescriptions or prescription-related information where the prescriber is required by law to issue a prescription for a patient to a non-prescribing provider, such as a nursing facility, that in turn forwards the prescription to a dispenser), must comply with the applicable standards in paragraph (b) of this section when e-prescribing for covered Part D drugs for Part D eligible individuals.

(3)(i) Entities transmitting prescriptions or prescription-related information must utilize the NCPDP SCRIPT standard, consistent with paragraph (b)(1) of this section, in all instances other than temporary/transient network transmission failures.

(ii) Electronic transmission of prescriptions or prescription-related information by means of computer-generated facsimile is only permitted in instances of temporary/transient transmission failure and communication problems that would preclude the use of the NCPDP SCRIPT standard adopted by this section.

(iii) Entities may use either HL7 messages or the NCPDP SCRIPT standard to transmit prescriptions or prescription-related information internally when the sender and the recipient are part of the same legal entity. If an entity sends prescriptions outside the entity (for example, from an HMO to a non-HMO pharmacy), it must use the adopted NCPDP SCRIPT standard or other applicable adopted standards. Any pharmacy within an entity must be able to receive electronic prescription transmittals for Medicare beneficiaries from outside the entity using the adopted NCPDP SCRIPT standard. This exemption does not supersede any HIPAA requirement that may require the use of a HIPAA transaction standard within an organization.

(4) In accordance with section 1860D-4(e)(5) of the Act, the standards under this paragraph (b) of this section supersede any State law or regulation that—

(i) Is contrary to the standards or restricts the ability to carry out Part D of Title XVIII of the Act; and

(ii) Pertains to the electronic transmission of medication history and of information on eligibility, benefits, and prescriptions with respect to covered Part D drugs under Part D of Title XVIII of the Act.

(5) Beginning on January 1, 2021, prescribers must, except in the circumstances described in paragraphs (a)(5)(i) through (iii) of this section, conduct prescribing for at least 70 percent of their Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances that are Part D drugs electronically using the applicable standards in paragraph (b) of this section, subject to the exemption in paragraph (a)(3)(iii) of this section. Prescriptions written for a beneficiary in a long-term care facility will not be included in determining compliance until January 1, 2025. Compliance actions against prescribers who do not meet the compliance threshold based on prescriptions written for a beneficiary in a long-term care facility will commence on or after January 1, 2025. Compliance actions against prescribers who do not meet the compliance threshold based on other prescriptions will commence on or after January 1, 2023. Prescribers will be exempt from this requirement in the following situations:

(i) Prescriber issues 100 or fewer controlled substance prescriptions for Part D drugs per calendar year as determined using CMS claims data with dates of service as of December 31st of the current year.

(ii) Prescriber has an address in PECOS in the geographic area of an emergency or disaster declared by a Federal, State, or local government entity. If a prescriber does not have an address in PECOS, prescriber has an address in NPPES in the geographic area of an emergency or disaster declared by a Federal, State, or local government entity. Starting in the 2024 measurement year, CMS will identify which emergencies or disasters qualify for this exception.

(iii) Prescriber has received a CMS-approved waiver because the prescriber is unable to conduct electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) due to circumstances beyond the prescriber's control.

(b) Standards—(1) Prescriptions, electronic prior authorization, and medication history. The communication of a prescription or prescription-related information must comply with a standard in 45 CFR 170.205(b) (incorporated by reference, see paragraph (c) of this section) for the following transactions, as applicable to the version of the standard in use:

(i)(A) GetMessage.

(B) Status.

(C) Error.

(D) RxChangeRequest and RxChangeResponse.

(E) RxRenewalRequest and RxRenewalResponse.

(F) Resupply.

(G) Verify.

(H) CancelRx and CancelRxResponse.

(I) RxFill.

(J) DrugAdministration.

(K) NewRxRequest.

(L) NewRx.

(M) NewRxResponseDenied.

(N) RxTransferInitiationRequest.

(O) RxTransfer.

(P) RxTransferConfirm.

(Q) RxFillIndicatorChange.

(R) Recertification.

(S) REMSInitiationRequest and REMSInitiationResponse.

(T) REMSRequest and REMSResponse.

(U) RxHistoryRequest and RxHistoryResponse.

(V) PAInitiationRequest and PAInitiationResponse.

(W) PARequest and PAResponse.

(X) PAAppealRequest and PAAppealResponse.

(Y) PACancelRequest and PACancelResponse.

(Z) PANotification.

(ii) [Reserved]

(2) Eligibility. Eligibility inquiries and responses between the Part D sponsor and prescribers and between the Part D sponsor and dispensers must comply with 45 CFR 162.1202.

(3) Formulary and benefits. The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Formulary and Benefits Standard, Implementation Guide, Version 3, Release 0 (Version 3.0), (incorporated by reference, see paragraph (c)) of this section) or comply with a standard in 45 CFR 170.205(u) (incorporated by reference, see paragraph (c) of this section) for transmitting formulary and benefits information between prescribers and Part D sponsors. Beginning January 1, 2027, transmission of formulary and benefit information between prescribers and Part D sponsors must comply with a standard in 45 CFR 170.205(u) (incorporated by reference, see paragraph (c) of this section).

(4) Provider identifier. The National Provider Identifier (NPI), as defined at 45 CFR 162.406, to identify an individual health care provider to Medicare Part D sponsors, prescribers and dispensers, in electronically transmitted prescriptions or prescription-related materials for Medicare Part D covered drugs for Medicare Part D eligible individuals.

(5) Real-time benefit tools. Part D sponsors must implement one or more electronic real-time benefit tools (RTBT) that are capable of integrating with at least one prescriber's e-Prescribing (eRx) system or electronic health record (EHR) to provide complete, accurate, timely, clinically appropriate, patient-specific formulary and benefit information to the prescriber in real time for assessing coverage under the Part D plan. Such information must include enrollee cost-sharing information, clinically appropriate formulary alternatives, when available, and the formulary status of each drug presented including any utilization management requirements applicable to each alternative drug. Beginning January 1, 2027, Part D sponsors' RTBT must comply with a standard in 45 CFR 170.205(c) (incorporated by reference, see paragraph (c) of this section).

(c) Incorporation by reference. The material listed in this paragraph (c) is incorporated by reference into this section with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. All approved incorporation by reference (IBR) material is available for inspection at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Contact CMS at: CMS 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244; phone: (410) 786-4132 or (877) 267-2323; email: [email protected]. For information on the availability of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations or email [email protected]. The material may be obtained from National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), Incorporated, 9240 E Raintree Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-7518; phone: (480) 477-1000; email: [email protected]; website: www.ncpdp.org.

(1) NCPDP Formulary and Benefit Standard, Implementation Guide, Version 3, Release 0 (Version 3.0), ANSI-approved January 28, 2011.

(2) NCPDP SCRIPT Standard, Implementation Guide Version 2017071, ANSI-approved July 28, 2017.

(3) NCPDP SCRIPT Standard, Implementation Guide Version 2023011, ANSI-approved January 17, 2023.

(4) NCPDP Real-Time Prescription Benefit Standard, Implementation Guide Version 13, ANSI-approved May 19, 2022.

(5) NCPDP Formulary and Benefit Standard, Implementation Guide Version 60, ANSI-approved April 12, 2023.

[89 FR 51263, June 17, 2024]

(a) General rule. Quality improvement organizations (QIOs) are required to offer providers, practitioners, and Part D sponsors quality improvement assistance pertaining to health care services, including those related to prescription drug therapy, in accordance with contracts established with the Secretary.

(b) Collection of information. Information collected, acquired, or generated by a QIO in the performance of its responsibilities under this section is subject to the confidentiality provisions of part 480 of this chapter. Part D sponsors are required to provide specified information to CMS for distribution to the QIOs as well as directly to QIOs.

(c) Applicability of QIO confidentiality provisions. The provisions of part 480 of this chapter apply to Part D sponsors in the same manner as such provisions apply to institutions under part 480 of this chapter.

(a) General rule. A Part D sponsor is deemed to meet all of the requirements of any of the areas described in paragraph (b) of this section if—

(1) The Part D sponsor is fully accredited (and periodically reaccredited) for the standards related to the applicable area under paragraph (b) of this section by a private, national accreditation organization approved by CMS; and

(2) The accreditation organization uses the standards approved by CMS for the purposes of assessing the Part D sponsor's compliance with Medicare requirements.

(b) Deemable requirements. The requirements relating to the following areas are deemable:

(1) Access to covered drugs, as provided under §§ 423.120 and 423.124.

(2) Drug utilization management programs, quality assurance measures and systems, and MTM programs as provided under § 423.153.

(3) Privacy, confidentiality, and accuracy of enrollee records, as provided under § 423.136.

(c) Effective date of deemed status. The date the Part D sponsor is deemed to meet the applicable requirements is the later of the following:

(1) The date the accreditation organization is approved by CMS.

(2) The date the Part D sponsor is accredited by the accreditation organization.

(d) Obligations of deemed Part D sponsors. A Part D sponsor deemed to meet Medicare requirements must—

(1) Submit to surveys by CMS to validate its accreditation organization's accreditation process; and

(2) Authorize its accreditation organization to release to CMS a copy of its most recent accreditation survey, together with any survey-related information that CMS may require (including corrective action plans and summaries of unmet CMS requirements).

(e) Removal of deemed status. CMS removes part or all of a Part D sponsor's deemed status for any of the following reasons—

(1) CMS determines, on the basis of its own investigation, that the Part D sponsor does not meet the Medicare requirements for which deemed status was granted.

(2) CMS withdraws its approval of the accreditation organization that accredited the Part D sponsor.

(3) The Part D sponsor fails to meet the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.

(f) Authority. Nothing in this section limits CMS' authority under subparts K and O of this part, including, but not limited to the ability to impose intermediate sanctions, civil money penalties, and terminate a contract with a Part D plan sponsor.

[70 FR 4525, Jan. 28, 2005, as amended at 75 FR 19818, Apr. 15, 2010; 89 FR 30835, Apr. 23, 2024]

(a) Conditions for approval. CMS may approve an accreditation organization for a given standard under this part if the organization meets the following conditions:

(1) In accrediting Part D sponsors and Part D plans, it applies and enforces standards that are at least as stringent as Medicare requirements for the standard or standards in question.

(2) It complies with the application and reapplication procedures set forth in § 423.171.

(3) It ensures that—

(i) Any individual associated with it, who is also associated with an entity it accredits, does not influence the accreditation decision concerning that entity;

(ii) The majority of the membership of its governing body is not comprised of managed care organizations, Part D sponsors or their representatives; and

(iii) Its governing body has a broad and balanced representation of interests and acts without bias.

(b) Notice and comment—(1) Proposed notice. CMS publishes a notice in the Federal Register whenever it is considering granting an accreditation organization's application for approval. The notice-

(i) Announces CMS's receipt of the accreditation organization's application for approval;

(ii) Describes the criteria CMS uses in evaluating the application; and

(iii) Provides at least a 30-day comment period.

(2) Final notice. (i) After reviewing public comments, CMS publishes a final notice in the Federal Register indicating whether it has granted the accreditation organization's request for approval.

(ii) If CMS grants the request, the final notice specifies the effective date and the term of the approval that may not exceed 6 years.

(c) Ongoing responsibilities of an approved accreditation organization. An accreditation organization approved by CMS must undertake the following activities on an ongoing basis:

(1) Provide to CMS in written form and on a monthly basis all of the following:

(i) Copies of all accreditation surveys, together with any survey-related information that CMS may require including corrective action plans and summaries of unmet CMS requirements).

(ii) Notice of all accreditation decisions.

(iii) Notice of all complaints related to deemed Part D sponsors.

(iv) Information about any Part D sponsor against which the accrediting organization has taken remedial or adverse action, including revocation, withdrawal, or revision of the Part D sponsor's accreditation. (The accreditation organization must provide this information within 30 days of taking the remedial or adverse action.)

(v) Notice of any proposed changes in its accreditation standards or requirements or survey process. If the organization implements the changes before or without CMS approval, CMS may withdraw its approval of the accreditation organization.

(2) Within 30 days of a change in CMS requirements, submit the following to CMS—

(i) An acknowledgment of CMS's notification of the change.

(ii) A revised crosswalk reflecting the new requirements.

(iii) An explanation of how the accreditation organization plans to alter its standards to conform to CMS's new requirements, within the timeframes specified in the notification of change it receives from CMS.

(3) Permit its surveyors to serve as witnesses if CMS takes an adverse action based on accreditation findings.

(4) Within 3 days of identifying, in an accredited Part D sponsor, a deficiency that as determined by the accrediting organization poses immediate jeopardy to the plan's enrollees or to the general public, give CMS written notice of the deficiency.

(5) Within 10 days of CMS's notice of withdrawal of approval, give written notice of the withdrawal to all accredited Part D sponsors.

(6) On an annual basis, provide summary data specified by CMS that relate to the past year's accreditation activities and trends.

(d) Continuing Federal oversight of approved accreditation organizations. Specific criteria and procedures for continuing oversight and for withdrawing approval of an accreditation organization include the following:

(1) Equivalency review. CMS compares the accreditation organization's standards and its application and enforcement of those standards to the comparable CMS requirements and processes when—

(i) CMS imposes new requirements or changes its survey process;

(ii) An accreditation organization proposes to adopt new standards or changes in its survey process; or

(iii) The term of an accreditation organization's approval expires.

(2) Validation review. CMS or its agent may conduct a survey of an accredited organization, examine the results of the accreditation organization's own survey, or attend the accreditation organization's survey to validate the organization's accreditation process. At the conclusion of the review, CMS identifies any accreditation programs for which validation survey results indicate—

(i) A 20 percent rate of disparity between certification by the accreditation organization and certification by CMS or its agent on standards that do not constitute immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety if unmet;

(ii) Any disparity between certification by the accreditation organization and certification by CMS or its agent on standards that constitute immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety if unmet; or

(iii) That, regardless of the rate of disparity, there are widespread or systematic problems in an organization's accreditation process that accreditation no longer provides assurance that the Medicare requirements are met or exceeded.

(3) Onsite observation. CMS may conduct an onsite inspection of the accreditation organization's operations and offices to verify the organization's representations and assess the organization's compliance with its own policies and procedures. The onsite inspection may include, but is not limited to the following:

(i) Reviewing documents.

(ii) Auditing meetings concerning the accreditation process.

(iii) Evaluating survey results or the accreditation status decision-making process.

(iv) Interviewing the organization's staff.

(4) Notice of intent to withdraw approval. If an equivalency review, validation review, onsite observation, or CMS's daily experience with the accreditation organization suggests that the accreditation organization is not meeting the requirements of this subpart, CMS gives the organization written notice of its intent to withdraw approval.

(5) Withdrawal of approval. CMS may withdraw its approval of an accreditation organization at any time if CMS determines that—

(i) Deeming, based on accreditation, no longer guarantees that the Part D sponsor meets the requirements for offering qualified prescription drug coverage, and failure to meet those requirements may jeopardize the health or safety of Medicare enrollees and constitute a significant hazard to the public health; or

(ii) The accreditation organization has failed to meet its obligations under this section or under § 423.165 or § 423.171.

(6) Reconsideration of withdrawal of approval. An accreditation organization dissatisfied with a determination to withdraw CMS approval may request a reconsideration of that determination in accordance with subpart D of part 488 of this chapter.

(a) Required information and materials. A private, national accreditation organization applying for approval must furnish to CMS all of the following information and materials (when reapplying for approval, the organization need furnish only the particular information and materials requested by CMS):

(1) The types of Part D plans and sponsors that it reviews as part of its accreditation process.

(2) A detailed comparison of the organization's accreditation requirements and standards with the Medicare requirements (for example, a crosswalk).

(3) Detailed information about the organization's survey process, including the following:

(i) Frequency of surveys and whether surveys are announced or unannounced.

(ii) Copies of survey forms, and guidelines and instructions to surveyors.

(iii) Descriptions of—

(A) The survey review process and the accreditation status decision making process;

(B) The procedures used to notify accredited Part D sponsors of deficiencies and to monitor the correction of those deficiencies; and

(C) The procedures used to enforce compliance with accreditation requirements.

(4) Detailed information about the individuals who perform surveys for the accreditation organization, including the—

(i) Size and composition of accreditation survey teams for each type of plan reviewed as part of the accreditation process;

(ii) Education and experience requirements surveyors must meet;

(iii) Content and frequency of the in-service training provided to survey personnel;

(iv) Evaluation systems used to monitor the performance of individual surveyors and survey teams; and

(v) Organization's policies and practice for the participation, in surveys or in the accreditation decision process by an individual who is professionally or financially affiliated with the entity being surveyed.

(5) A description of the organization's data management and analysis system for its surveys and accreditation decisions, including the kinds of reports, tables, and other displays generated by that system.

(6) A description of the organization's procedures for responding to and investigating complaints against accredited organizations, including policies and procedures regarding coordination of these activities with appropriate licensing bodies and ombudsmen programs.

(7) A description of the organization's policies and procedures for the withholding or removal of accreditation for failure to meet the accreditation organization's standards or requirements, and other actions the organization takes in response to noncompliance with its standards and requirements.

(8) A description of all types (for example, full or partial) and categories (for example, provisional, conditional, or temporary) of accreditation offered by the organization, the duration of each type and category of accreditation, and a statement identifying the types and categories that serve as a basis for accreditation if CMS approves the accreditation organization.

(9) A list of all currently accredited Part D sponsors and MA organizations and the type, category, and expiration date of the accreditation held by each of them.

(10) A list of all full and partial accreditation surveys scheduled to be performed by the accreditation organization as requested by CMS.

(11) The name and address of each person with an ownership or control interest in the accreditation organization.

(b) Required supporting documentation. A private, national accreditation organization applying or reapplying for approval also must submit the following supporting documentation—

(1) A written presentation that demonstrates its ability to furnish CMS with electronic data in CMS compatible format.

(2) A resource analysis that demonstrates that it's staffing, funding, and other resources are adequate to perform the required surveys and related activities.

(3) A statement acknowledging that, as a condition for approval, it agrees to comply with the ongoing responsibility requirements of § 423.168(c).

(c) Additional information. If CMS determines that it needs additional information for a determination to grant or deny the accreditation organization's request for approval, it notifies the organization and allows time for the organization to provide the additional information.

(d) Onsite visit. CMS may visit the accreditation organization's offices to verify representations made by the organization in its application, including, but not limited to, review of documents and interviews with the organization's staff.

(e) Notice of determination. CMS gives the accreditation organization, within 210 days of receipt of its completed application, a formal notice that—

(1) States whether the request for approval is granted or denied;

(2) Gives the rationale for any denial; and

(3) Describes the reconsideration and reapplication procedures.

(f) Withdrawal. An accreditation organization may withdraw its application for approval at any time before it receives the formal notice specified in paragraph (e) of this section.

(g) Reconsideration of adverse determination. An accreditation organization that has received a notice of denial of its request for approval may request a reconsideration in accordance with subpart D of part 488 of this chapter.

(h) Request for approval following denial. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (h)(2) of this section, an accreditation organization that has received notice of denial of its request for approval may submit a new request if it—

(i) Has revised its accreditation program to correct the deficiencies on which the denial was based.

(ii) Can demonstrate that the Part D sponsors that it has accredited meet or exceed applicable Medicare requirements; and

(iii) Resubmits the application in its entirety.

(2) An accreditation organization that has requested reconsideration of CMS' denial of its request for approval may not submit a new request until the reconsideration is administratively final.

(a) Basis. This subpart is based on sections 1851(d), 1852(e), 1853(o) and 1854(b)(3)(iii), (v), and (vi) of the Act and the general authority under section 1856(b) of the Act requiring the establishment of standards consistent with and to carry out Part D.

(b) Purpose. Ratings calculated and assigned under this subpart will be used by CMS for the following purposes:

(1) To provide comparative information on plan quality and performance to beneficiaries for their use in making knowledgeable enrollment and coverage decisions in the Medicare program.

(2) To provide quality ratings on a 5-star rating system.

(3) To provide a means to evaluate and oversee overall and specific compliance with certain regulatory and contract requirements by Part D plans, where appropriate and possible to use data of the type described in § 423.182(c).

(c) Applicability. Except for § 423.182(b)(3), the regulations in this subpart will be applicable beginning with the 2019 measurement period and the associated 2021 Star Ratings that are released prior to the annual coordinated election period for the 2021 contract year.

[83 FR 16743, Apr. 16, 2018]

(a) Definitions. In this subpart the following terms have the meanings:

Absolute percentage cap is a cap applied to non-CAHPS measures that are on a 0 to 100 scale that restricts movement of the current year's measure-threshold-specific cut point to no more than the stated percentage as compared to the prior year's cut point.

CAHPS refers to a comprehensive and evolving family of surveys that ask consumers and patients to evaluate the interpersonal aspects of health care. CAHPS surveys probe those aspects of care for which consumers and patients are the best or only source of information, as well as those that consumers and patients have identified as being important. CAHPS initially stood for the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study, but as the products have evolved beyond health plans the acronym now stands for Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems.

Case-mix adjustment means an adjustment to the measure score made prior to the score being converted into a Star Rating to take into account certain enrollee characteristics that are not under the control of the plan. For example age, education, chronic medical conditions, and functional health status that may be related to the enrollee's survey responses.

Categorical Adjustment Index (CAI) means the factor that is added to or subtracted from an overall or summary Star Rating (or both) to adjust for the average within-contract (or within-plan as applicable) disparity in performance associated with the percentages of beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and enrolled in Medicaid, beneficiaries who receive a Low Income Subsidy, or have disability status in that contract (or plan as applicable).

Clustering refers to a variety of techniques used to partition data into distinct groups such that the observations within a group are as similar as possible to each other, and as dissimilar as possible to observations in any other group. Clustering of the measure-specific scores means that gaps that exist within the distribution of the scores are identified to create groups (clusters) that are then used to identify the four cut points resulting in the creation of five levels (one for each Star Rating), such that the scores in the same Star Rating level are as similar as possible and the scores in different Star Rating levels are as different as possible. Technically, the variance in measure scores is separated into within-cluster and between-cluster sum of squares components. The clusters reflect the groupings of numeric value scores that minimize the variance of scores within the clusters. The Star Ratings levels are assigned to the clusters that minimize the within-cluster sum of squares. The cut points for star assignments are derived from the range of measure scores per cluster, and the star levels associated with each cluster are determined by ordering the means of the clusters.

Consolidation means when an MA organization that has at least two contracts for health and/or drug services of the same plan type under the same parent organization in a year combines multiple contracts into a single contract for the start of the subsequent contract year.

Consumed contract means a contract that will no longer exist after a contract year's end as a result of a consolidation.

Cut point cap is a restriction on the change in the amount of movement a measure-threshold-specific cut point can make as compared to the prior year's measure-threshold-specific cut point. A cut point cap can restrict upward movement, downward movement, or both.

Display page means the CMS website on which certain measures and scores are publicly available for informational purposes; the measures that are presented on the display page are not used in assigning Part C and D Star Ratings.

Domain rating means the rating that groups measures together by dimensions of care.

Dual-eligible (DE) means a beneficiary who is enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

Guardrail is a bidirectional cap that restricts both upward and downward movement of a measure-threshold-specific cut point for the current year's measure-level Star Ratings as compared to the prior year's measure-threshold-specific cut point.

Health equity index means an index that summarizes contract performance among those with specified social risk factors (SRFs) across multiple measures into a single score.

Highest rating means the overall rating for MA-PDs, the Part C summary rating for MA-only contracts, and the Part D summary rating for PDPs.

Highly-rated contract means a contract that has 4 or more stars for its highest rating when calculated without the improvement measures and with all applicable adjustments in § 423.186(f).

Low-income subsidy (LIS) means the subsidy that a beneficiary receives to help pay for prescription drug coverage (see § 423.34 for definition of a low-income subsidy eligible individual).

Mean resampling refers to a technique where measure-specific scores for the current year's Star Ratings are randomly separated into 10 equal-sized groups. The hierarchal clustering algorithm is done 10 times, each time leaving one of the 10 groups out. By leaving out one of the 10 groups for each run, 9 of the 10 groups, which is 90 percent of the applicable measure scores, are used for each run of the clustering algorithm. The method results in 10 sets of measure-specific cut points. The mean cut point for each threshold per measure is calculated using the 10 values.

Measurement period means the period for which data are collected for a measure or the performance period that a measures covers.

Measure score means the numeric value of the measure or an assigned `missing data' message.

Measure star means the measure's numeric value is converted to a Star Rating. It is displayed to the nearest whole star, using a 1-5 star scale.

Overall rating means a global rating that summarizes the quality and performance for the types of services offered across all unique Part C and Part D measures.

Part C summary rating means a global rating that summarizes the health plan quality and performance on Part C measures.

Part D summary rating means a global rating that summarizes prescription drug plan quality and performance on Part D measures.

Plan benefit package (PBP) means a set of benefits for a defined MA or PDP service area. The PBP is submitted by Part D plan sponsors and MA organizations to CMS for benefit analysis, bidding, marketing, and beneficiary communication purposes.

Reliability means a measure of the fraction of the variation among the observed measure values that is due to real differences in quality (“signal”) rather than random variation (“noise”); it is reflected on a scale from 0 (all differences in plan performance measure scores are due to measurement error) to 1 (the difference in plan performance scores is attributable to real differences in performance).

Restricted range is the difference between the maximum and minimum measure score values using the prior year measure scores excluding outer fence outliers (first quartile −3*Interquartile Range (IQR) and third quartile + 3*IQR).

Restricted range cap is a cap applied to non-CAHPS measures that restricts movement of the current year's measure-threshold-specific cut point to no more than the stated percentage of the restricted range of a measure calculated using the prior year's measure score distribution.

Reward factor means a rating-specific factor added to the contract's summary or overall ratings (or both) if a contract has both high and stable relative performance.

Statistical significance assesses how likely differences observed in performance are due to random chance alone under the assumption that plans are actually performing the same.

Surviving contract means the contact that will still exist under a consolidation, and all of the beneficiaries enrolled in the consumed contract(s) are moved to the surviving contracts.

Traditional rounding rules mean that the last digit in a value will be rounded. If rounding to a whole number, look at the digit in the first decimal place. If the digit in the first decimal place is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, then the value should be rounded down by deleting the digit in the first decimal place. If the digit in the first decimal place is 5 or greater, then the value should be rounded up by 1 and the digit in the first decimal place deleted.

Tukey outer fence outliers are measure scores that are below a certain point (first quartile−3.0 × (third quartile−first quartile)) or above a certain point (third quartile + 3.0 × (third quartile−first quartile)).

(b) Contract ratings—(1) General. CMS calculates an overall Star Rating, Part C summary rating, and Part D summary rating for each MA-PD contract and a Part D summary rating for each PDP contract using the 5-star rating system described in this subpart. For PDP contracts, the Part D summary rating is the highest rating. Measures are assigned stars at the contract level and weighted in accordance with § 423.186(a). Domain ratings are the unweighted mean of the individual measure ratings under the topic area in accordance with § 423.186(b). Summary ratings are the weighted mean of the individual measure ratings for Part C or Part D in accordance with § 423.186(c), with the applicable adjustments provided in paragraph (f) of this section. Overall Star Ratings are calculated by using the weighted mean of the individual measure ratings in accordance with § 423.186(d), with the applicable adjustments provided in paragraph (f) of this section. CMS includes the Star Ratings measures in the overall and summary ratings that are associated with the contract type for the Star Ratings year.

(2) Plan benefit packages. All plan benefit packages (PBPs) offered under an MA contract or PDP plan sponsor have the same overall and/or summary Star Ratings as the contract under which the PBP is offered by the MA organization or PDP plan sponsor. Data from all the PBPs offered under a contract are used to calculate the measure and domain ratings for the contract.

(3) Contract consolidations. (i) In the case of contract consolidations involving two or more contracts for health and/or drug services of the same plan type under the same parent organization, CMS assigns Star Ratings for the first and second years following the consolidation based on the enrollment-weighted mean of the measure scores of the surviving and consumed contract(s) as provided in paragraph (b)(3)(ii) of this section.

(ii) The Star Ratings posted on Medicare Plan Finder for contracts that consolidate are as follows:

(A)(1) For the first year after consolidation, CMS uses enrollment-weighted measure scores using the July enrollment of the measurement period of the consumed and surviving contracts for all measures, except survey-based measures, call center measures, and improvement measures. The survey-based measures will use enrollment of the surviving and consumed contracts at the time the sample is pulled for the rating year. The call center measures will use average enrollment during the study period. The Part C and D improvement measures are not calculated for first year consolidations.

(2) For contract consolidations approved on or after January 1, 2022, if a measure score for a consumed or surviving contract is missing due to a data integrity issue as described in § 423.184(g)(1)(i) and (ii), CMS assigns a score of zero for the missing measure score in the calculation of the enrollment-weighted measure score.

(B)(1) For the second year after consolidation, CMS uses the enrollment-weighted measure scores using the July enrollment of the measurement year of the consumed and surviving contracts for all measures except for CAHPS. CMS ensures that the CAHPS survey sample includes enrollees in the sample frame from both the surviving and consumed contracts.

(2) For contract consolidations approved on or after January 1, 2022, for all measures except CAHPS if a measure score for a consumed or surviving contract is missing due to a data integrity issue as described in § 423.184(g)(1)(i) and (ii), CMS assigns a score of zero for the missing measure score in the calculation of the enrollment-weighted measure score.

(iii) This provision governing the Star Ratings of surviving contracts is applicable to contract consolidations that are approved on or after January 1, 2019.

(c) Data sources. (1) Part D Star Ratings measures reflect structure, process, and outcome indices of quality. This includes information of the following types: Beneficiary experiences, benefit administration information, clinical data, and CMS administrative data. Data underlying Star Ratings measures may include survey data, data separately collected and used in oversight of Part D plans' compliance with contract requirements, data submitted by plans, and CMS administrative data.

(2) Part D sponsors are required to collect, analyze, and report data that permit measurements of health outcomes and other indices of quality. Part D sponsors must provide unbiased, accurate, and complete quality data described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section to CMS on a timely basis as requested by CMS.

(3) For 2021 Star Ratings only, Part D sponsors are not required to submit CAHPS data that would otherwise be required for the calculation of the 2021 Star Ratings.

[83 FR 16743, Apr. 16, 2018; 84 FR 15841, Apr. 16, 2019, as amended at 85 FR 19290, Apr. 6, 2020; 85 FR 33911, June 2, 2020; 86 FR 6118, Jan. 19, 2021; 88 FR 22337, Apr. 12, 2023]

(a) General. CMS adds, updates, and removes measures used to calculate the Star Ratings as provided in this section. CMS lists the measures used for a particular Star Rating each year in the Technical Notes or similar guidance document with publication of the Star Ratings.

(b) Review of data quality. CMS reviews the quality of the data on which performance, scoring and rating of a measure is based before using the data to score and rate performance or in calculating a Star Rating. This includes review of variation in scores among MA organizations and Part D plan sponsors, and the accuracy, reliability, and validity of measures and performance data before making a final determination about inclusion of measures in each year's Star Ratings.

(c) Adding measures. (1) CMS will continue to review measures that are nationally endorsed and in alignment with the private sector, such as measures developed by National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) or endorsed by the National Quality Forum for adoption and use in the Part D Quality Ratings System. CMS may develop its own measures as well when appropriate to measure and reflect performance specific to the Medicare program.

(2) In advance of the measurement period, CMS will announce potential new measures and solicit feedback through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act and then subsequently will propose and finalize new measures through rulemaking.

(3) New measures added to the Part D Star Ratings program will be on the display page on www.cms.gov for a minimum of 2 years prior to becoming a Star Ratings measure.

(4) A measure will remain on the display page for longer than 2 years if CMS finds reliability or validity issues with the measure specification.

(d) Updating measures—(1) Non-substantive updates. For measures that are already used for Star Ratings, CMS will update measures so long as the changes in a measure are not substantive. CMS will announce non-substantive updates to measures that occur (or are announced by the measure steward) during or in advance of the measurement period through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act. Non-substantive measure specification updates include those that—

(i) Narrow the denominator or population covered by the measure;

(ii) Do not meaningfully impact the numerator or denominator of the measure;

(iii) Update the clinical codes with no change in the target population or the intent of the measure;

(iv) Provide additional clarifications:

(A) Adding additional qualifiers that would meet the numerator requirements;

(B) Clarifying documentation requirements;

(C) Adding additional instructions; or

(v) Add alternative data sources or expand modes of data collection.

(2) Substantive updates. For measures that are already used for Star Ratings, in the case of measure specification updates that are substantive updates not subject to paragraph (d)(1) of this section, CMS will propose and finalize these measures through rulemaking similar to the process for adding new measures. CMS will initially solicit feedback on whether to make substantive measure updates through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act. Once the update has been made to the measure specification by the measure steward, CMS may continue collection of the performance data for the legacy measure and include it in Star Ratings until the updated measure has been on display for 2 years. CMS will place the updated measure on the display page for at least 2 years prior to using the updated measure to calculate and assign Star Ratings as specified in paragraph (c) of this section.

(e) Removing measures. (1) CMS will remove a measure from the Star Ratings program as follows:

(i) When the clinical guidelines associated with the specifications of the measure change such that the specifications are no longer believed to align with positive health outcomes, or

(ii) A measure shows low statistical reliability.

(iii) The measure steward other than CMS retires a measure.

(2) CMS will announce in advance of the measurement period the removal of a measure based upon its application of this paragraph (e) through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act in advance of the measurement period.

(f) Improvement measure. CMS will calculate improvement measure scores based on a comparison of the measure scores for the current year to the immediately preceding year as provided in this paragraph (f); the improvement measure score would be calculated for Parts C and D separately by taking a weighted sum of net improvement divided by the weighted sum of the number of eligible measures.

(1) Identifying eligible measures. Annually, the subset of measures to be included in the Part D improvement measure will be announced through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act. CMS identifies measures to be used in the improvement measure if the measures meet all the following:

(i) CMS will include only measures available for the current and previous year in the improvement measures and that have numeric value scores in both the current and prior year.

(ii) CMS will exclude any measure for which there was a substantive specification change from the previous year.

(iii) The Part D improvement measure will include only Part D measure scores.

(iv) CMS excludes any measure that receives a measure-level Star Rating reduction for data integrity concerns for either the current or prior year from the improvement measure(s).

(2) Determining eligible contracts. CMS will calculate an improvement score only for contracts that have numeric measure scores for both years in at least half of the measures identified for use applying the standards in paragraphs (f)(1)(i) through (iii) of this section.

(3) Special rules for calculation of the improvement score. For any measure used for the improvement measure for which a contract received 5 stars in each of the years examined, but for which the measure score demonstrates a statistically significant decline based on the results of the significance testing (at a level of significance of 0.05) on the change score, the measure will be categorized as having no significant change and included in the count of measures used to determine eligibility for the measure (that is, for the denominator of the improvement measure score).

(4) Calculation of the improvement score. The improvement measure will be calculated as follows:

(i) The improvement change score (the difference in the measure scores in the 2-year period) will be determined for each measure that has been designated an improvement measure and for which a contract has a numeric score for each of the 2 years examined.

(ii) Each contract's improvement change score per measure will be categorized as a significant change or not a significant change by employing a two-tailed t-test with a level of significance of 0.05.

(iii) The net improvement per measure category (outcome, access, patient experience, process) would be calculated by finding the difference between the weighted number of significantly improved measures and significantly declined measures, using the measure weights associated with each measure category.

(iv) The improvement measure score will then be determined by calculating the weighted sum of the net improvement per measure category divided by the weighted sum of the number of eligible measures.

(v) The improvement measure scores will be converted to measure-level Star Ratings by determining the cut points using hierarchical clustering algorithms in accordance with § 423.186(a)(2)(i) through (iii).

(vi) The Part D improvement measure cut points for MA-PDs and PDPs will be determined using separate clustering algorithms in accordance with §§ 422.166(a)(2)(iii) and 423.186(a)(2)(iii).

(g) Data integrity. (1) CMS will reduce a contract's measure rating when CMS determines that a contract's measure data are inaccurate, incomplete, or biased; such determinations may be based on a number of reasons, including mishandling of data, inappropriate processing, or implementation of incorrect practices that have an impact on the accuracy, impartiality, or completeness of the data used for one or more specific measure(s).

(i) CMS will reduce measures based on data that a Part D organization must submit to CMS under § 423.514 to 1 star when a contract did not score at least 95 percent on data validation for the applicable reporting section or was not compliant with CMS data validation standards/sub-standards for data directly used to calculate the associated measure.

(ii) [Reserved]

(2) CMS will reduce a measure rating to 1 star for additional concerns that data inaccuracy, incompleteness, or bias have an impact on measure scores and are not specified in paragraphs (g)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section, including a contract's failure to adhere to CAHPS reporting requirements.

(h) Review of sponsors' data. (1) A Part D plan sponsor may request that CMS or the IRE review its' contract's appeals data provided that the request is received by the annual deadline set by CMS for the applicable Star Ratings year.

(2) A Part D plan sponsor may request that CMS review its' contract's Complaints Tracking Module (CTM) data provided that the request is received by the annual deadline set by CMS for the applicable Star Ratings year.

(i) [Reserved]

(3) Beginning with the 2025 measurement year (2027 Star Ratings), Part D sponsor may request that CMS review its contract's administrative data for Patient Safety measures provided that the request is received by the annual deadline set by CMS for the applicable Star Ratings year.

[83 FR 16743, Apr. 16, 2018, as amended at 84 FR 15842, Apr. 16, 2019; 85 FR 19291, Apr. 6, 2020; 86 FR 6118, Jan. 19, 2021; 87 FR 27899, May 9, 2022; 88 FR 22338, Apr. 12, 2023; 89 FR 30835, Apr. 23, 2024]

(a) Measure Star Ratings—(1) Cut points. CMS will determine cut points for the assignment of a Star Rating for each numeric measure score by applying either a clustering or a relative distribution and significance testing methodology. For the Part D measures, CMS will determine MA-PD and PDP cut points separately.

(2) Clustering algorithm for all measures except CAHPS measures.

(i) The method maximizes differences across the star categories and minimizes the differences within star categories using mean resampling with the hierarchal clustering of the current year's data. Effective for the Star Ratings issued in October 2023 and subsequent years, prior to applying mean resampling with hierarchal clustering, Tukey outer fence outliers are removed. Effective for the Star Ratings issued in October 2022 and subsequent years, CMS will add a guardrail so that the measure-threshold-specific cut points for non-CAHPS measures do not increase or decrease more than the value of the cap from 1 year to the next. The cap is equal to 5 percentage points for measures having a 0 to 100 scale (absolute percentage cap) or 5 percent of the restricted range for measures not having a 0 to 100 scale (restricted range cap). New measures that have been in the Part C and D Star Rating program for 3 years or less use the hierarchal clustering methodology with mean resampling with no guardrail for the first 3 years in the program.

(ii) In cases where multiple clusters have the same measure score value range, those clusters would be combined, leading to fewer than 5 clusters.

(iii) The clustering algorithm for the improvement measure scores is done in two steps to determine the cut points for the measure-level Star Ratings. Clustering is conducted separately for improvement measure scores greater than or equal to zero and those with improvement measure scores less than zero.

(A) Improvement scores of zero or greater would be assigned at least 3 stars for the improvement Star Rating.

(B) Improvement scores less than zero would be assigned either 1 or 2 stars for the improvement Star Rating.

(3) Relative distribution and significance testing for CAHPS measures. The method combines evaluating the relative percentile distribution with significance testing and accounts for the reliability of scores produced from survey data; no measure Star Rating is produced if the reliability of a CAHPS measure is less than 0.60. Low reliability scores are defined as those with at least 11 respondents, reliability greater than or equal to 0.60 but less than 0.75, and also in the lowest 12 percent of contracts ordered by reliability. The following rules apply:

(i) A contract is assigned 1 star if both of the criteria in paragraphs (a)(3)(i)(A) and (B) of this section are met plus at least one of the criteria in paragraphs (a)(3)(i)(C) or (D) of this section is met:

(A) Its average CAHPS measure score is lower than the 15th percentile; and

(B) Its average CAHPS measure score is statistically significantly lower than the national average CAHPS measure score;

(C) The reliability is not low; or

(D) Its average CAHPS measure score is more than one standard error below the 15th percentile.

(ii) A contract is assigned 2 stars if it does not meet the 1-star criteria and meets at least one of these three criteria:

(A) Its average CAHPS measure score is lower than the 30th percentile and the measure does not have low reliability; or

(B) Its average CAHPS measure score is lower than the 15th percentile and the measure has low reliability; or

(C) Its average CAHPS measure score is statistically significantly lower than the national average CAHPS measure score and below the 60th percentile.

(iii) A contract is assigned 3 stars if it meets at least one of these three criteria:

(A) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 30th percentile and lower than the 60th percentile, and it is not statistically significantly different from the national average CAHPS measure score; or

(B) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 15th percentile and lower than the 30th percentile, the reliability is low, and the score is not statistically significantly lower than the national average CAHPS measure score; or

(C) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 60th percentile and lower than the 80th percentile, the reliability is low, and the score is not statistically significantly higher than the national average CAHPS measure score.

(iv) A contract is assigned 4 stars if it does not meet the 5-star criteria and meets at least one of these three criteria:

(A) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 60th percentile and the measure does not have low reliability; or

(B) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 80th percentile and the measure has low reliability; or

(C) Its average CAHPS measure score is statistically significantly higher than the national average CAHPS measure score and above the 30th percentile.

(v) A contract is assigned 5 stars if both of the following criteria in paragraphs (a)(3)(v)(A) and (B) of this section are met plus at least one of the criteria in paragraphs (a)(3)(v)(C) or (D) of this section is met:

(A) Its average CAHPS measure score is at or above the 80th percentile; and

(B) Its average CAHPS measure score is statistically significantly higher than the national average CAHPS measure score;

(C) The reliability is not low; or

(D) Its average CAHPS measure score is more than one standard error above the 80th percentile.

(4) 5-Star Scale. Measure scores are converted to a 5-star scale ranging from 1 (worst rating) to 5 (best rating), with whole star increments for the cut points.

(b) Domain Star Ratings. (1)(i) CMS groups measures by domains solely for purposes of public reporting the data on Medicare Plan Finder. They are not used in the calculation of the summary or overall ratings. Domains are used to group measures by dimensions of care that together represent a unique and important aspect of quality and performance.

(ii) The 4 domains for the Part D Star Ratings are: Drug Plan Customer Service; Member Complaints and Changes in the Drug Plan's Performance; Member Experience with the Drug Plan; and Drug Safety and Accuracy of Drug Pricing.

(2) CMS calculates the domain ratings as the unweighted mean of the Star Ratings of the included measures.

(i) A contract must have scores for at least 50 percent of the measures required to be reported for that contract type for that domain to have a domain rating calculated.

(ii) The domain ratings are on a 1 to 5 star scale ranging from 1 (worst rating) to 5 (best rating) in whole star increments using traditional rounding rules.

(c) Part D summary ratings. (1) CMS will calculate the Part D summary ratings using the weighted mean of the measure-level Star Ratings for Part D, weighted in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section and with the applicable adjustments provided in paragraph (f) of this section.

(2)(i) A contract must have scores for at least 50 percent of the measures required to be reported for the contract type to have a summary rating calculated.

(ii) The Part D improvement measure is not included in the count of the minimum number of rated measures.

(3) The summary ratings are on a 1 to 5 star scale ranging from 1 (worst rating) to 5 (best rating) in half-star increments using traditional rounding rules.

(d) Overall MA-PD rating. (1) The overall rating for a MA-PD contract will be calculated using a weighted mean of the Part C and Part D measure-level Star Ratings, weighted in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section and with the applicable adjustments provided in paragraph (f) of this section.

(2)(i) An MA-PD must have both Part C and Part D summary ratings and scores for at least 50 percent of the measures required to be reported for the contract type to have the overall rating calculated.

(ii) The Part C and D improvement measures are not included in the count of measures needed for the overall rating.

(iii) Any measures that share the same data and are included in both the Part C and Part D summary ratings will be included only once in the calculation for the overall rating.

(iv) The overall rating is on a 1 to 5 star scale ranging from 1 (worst rating) to 5 (best rating) in half-increments using traditional rounding rules.

(e) Measure weights—(1) General rules. Subject to paragraphs (e)(2) and (3) of this section, CMS will assign weights to measures based on their categorization as follows.

(i) Improvement measures receive the highest weight of 5.

(ii) Outcome and Intermediate outcome measures receive a weight of 3.

(iii) Through the 2025 Star Ratings, patient experience and complaint measures receive a weight of 4. Starting with the 2026 Star Ratings and subsequent Star Ratings years, patient experience and complaint measures receive a weight of 2.

(iv) Through the 2025 Star Ratings, access measures receive a weight of 4. Starting with the 2026 Star Ratings and subsequent Star Ratings years, access measures receive a weight of 2.

(v) Process measures receive a weight of 1.

(2) Rules for new and substantively updated measures. New measures to the Star Ratings program will receive a weight of 1 for their first year in the Star Ratings program. Substantively updated measures will receive a weight of 1 in their first year returning to the Star Ratings after being on the display page. In subsequent years, a new or substantively updated measure will be assigned the weight associated with its category.

(3) Special rule for Puerto Rico. Contracts that have service areas that are wholly located in Puerto Rico will receive a weight of zero for the Part D adherence measures for the summary and overall rating calculations and will have a weight of 3 for the adherence measures for the improvement measure calculations.

(f) Completing the Part D summary and overall rating calculations. CMS will adjust the summary and overall rating calculations to take into account the reward factor (if applicable) and the categorical adjustment index (CAI) as provided in this paragraph (f).

(1) Reward factor. Through the 2026 Star Ratings, this rating-specific reward factor is added to both the summary and overall ratings of contracts that qualify for this reward factor based on both high and stable relative performance for the rating level.

(i) The contract's performance will be assessed using its weighted mean and its ranking relative to all rated contracts in the rating level (overall for MA-PDs and Part D summary for MA-PDs and PDPs) for the same Star Ratings year. The contract's stability of performance will be assessed using the weighted variance and its ranking relative to all rated contracts in the rating type (overall for MA-PDs and Part D summary for MA-PDs and PDPs). The weighted mean and weighted variance are compared separately for MA-PD and standalone Part D contracts (PDPs). The measure weights are specified in paragraph (e) of this section. Since highly-rated contracts may have the improvement measure(s) excluded in the determination of their final highest rating, each contract's weighted variance and weighted mean will be calculated both with and without the improvement measures. For an MA-PD's Part C and D summary ratings, its ranking is relative to all other contracts' weighted variance and weighted mean for the rating type (Part C summary, Part D summary) with the improvement measure. For the 2022 Star Ratings only, since all contracts may have the improvement measure(s) excluded in the determination of their highest rating and summary rating(s), each contract's weighted variance and weighted mean are calculated both with and without the improvement measures.

(ii) Relative performance of the weighted variance (or weighted variance ranking) will be categorized as being high (at or above 70th percentile), medium (between the 30th and 69th percentile) or low (below the 30th percentile). Relative performance of the weighted mean (or weighted mean ranking) will be categorized as being high (at or above the 85th percentile), relatively high (between the 65th and 84th percentiles), or other (below the 65th percentile).

(iii) The combination of the relative variance and relative mean is used to determine the reward factor to be added to the contract's summary and overall ratings as follows:

(A) A contract with low variance and a high mean will have a reward factor equal to 0.4.

(B) A contract with medium variance and a high mean will have a reward factor equal to 0.3.

(C) A contract with low variance and a relatively high mean will have a reward factor equal to 0.2.

(D) A contract with medium variance and a relatively high mean will have a reward factor equal to 0.1.

(E) A contract with all other combinations of variance and relative mean will have a reward factor equal to 0.0.

(iv) The reward factor is determined and applied before application of the CAI adjustment under paragraph (f)(2) of this section; the reward factor is based on unadjusted scores.

(2) Categorical adjustment index. CMS applies the categorical adjustment index (CAI) as provided in this paragraph(f)(2) to adjust for the average within-contract disparity in performance associated with the percentages of beneficiaries who receive a low income subsidy or are dual eligible (LIS/DE) or have disability status. The factor is calculated as the mean difference in the adjusted and unadjusted ratings (overall, Part D for MA-PDs, Part D for PDPs) of the contracts that lie within each final adjustment category for each rating type.

(i) The CAI is added to or subtracted from the contract's overall and summary ratings and is applied after the reward factor adjustment described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section (if applicable).

(A) The adjustment factor is monotonic (that is, as the proportion of LIS/DE and disabled increases in a contract, the adjustment factor increases in at least one of the dimensions) and varies by a contract's categorization into a final adjustment category that is determined by a contract's proportion of LIS/DE and disabled beneficiaries.

(B) To determine a contract's final adjustment category, contract enrollment is determined using enrollment data for the month of December for the measurement period of the Star Ratings year.

(1) For the first 2 years following a consolidation, for the surviving contract of a contract consolidation involving two or more contracts for health or drug services of the same plan type under the same parent organization, the enrollment data for the month of December for the measurement period of the Star Ratings year are combined across the surviving and consumed contracts in the consolidation.

(2) The count of beneficiaries for a contract is restricted to beneficiaries that are alive for part or all of the month of December of the applicable measurement year.

(3) A beneficiary is categorized as LIS/DE if the beneficiary was designated as full or partially dually eligible or receiving a LIS at any time during the applicable measurement period.

(4) Disability status is determined using the variable original reason for entitlement (OREC) for Medicare using the information from the Social Security Administration and Railroad Retirement Board record systems.

(C) A MA-PD contract may be adjusted up to three times with the CAI: One for the overall Star Rating and one for each of the summary ratings (Part C and Part D).

(D) A PDP contract may be adjusted only once for the CAI for the Part D summary rating.

(E) The CAI values are rounded and displayed with 6 decimal places.

(ii) In determining the CAI values, a measure will be excluded from adjustment if the measure meets any of the following:

(A) The measure is already case-mix adjusted for socioeconomic status.

(B) The focus of the measurement is not a beneficiary-level issue but rather a plan or provider-level issue.

(C) The measure is scheduled to be retired or revised.

(D) The measure is applicable only to SNPs.

(iii) The Star Ratings measures that remain after the exclusion criteria, paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section, have been applied will be adjusted for the determination of the CAI. CMS will announce the measures identified for adjustment in the calculations of the CAI under this paragraph (f)(2) through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act.

(iv) The adjusted measures scores for the selected measures are determined using the results from regression models of beneficiary level measure scores that adjust for the average within-contract difference in measure scores for MA or PDP contracts.

(A) A logistic regression model with contract fixed effects and beneficiary level indicators of LIS/DE and disability status is used for the adjustment.

(B) The adjusted measure scores are converted to a measure-level Star Rating using the measure thresholds for the Star Ratings year that corresponds to the measurement period of the data employed for the CAI determination.

(v) The rating-specific CAI values will be determined using the mean differences between the adjusted and unadjusted Star Ratings (overall, Part D summary for MA-PDs and Part D summary for PDPs) in each final adjustment category.

(A) For the annual development of the CAI, the distribution of the percentages for LIS/DE and disabled (using the enrollment data that parallels the previous Star Ratings year's data) would be examined to determine the number of equal-sized initial groups for each attribute (LIS/DE and disabled).

(B) The initial categories are created using all groups formed by the initial LIS/DE and disabled groups.

(C) The mean difference between the adjusted and unadjusted summary or overall ratings per initial category would be calculated and examined. The initial categories would then be collapsed to form the final adjustment categories. The collapsing of the initial categories to form the final adjustment categories would be done to enforce monotonicity in at least one dimension (LIS/DE or disabled).

(D) The mean difference within each final adjustment category by rating-type (overall, Part D for MA-PD, and Part D for PDPs) would be the CAI values for the next Star Ratings year.

(vi) CMS develops the model for the modified contract-level LIS/DE percentage for Puerto Rico using the following sources of information:

(A) The most recent data available at the time of the development of the model of both 1-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for the percentage of people living below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and the ACS 5-year estimates for the percentage of people living below 150 percent of the FPL. The data to develop the model will be limited to the 10 states, drawn from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia with the highest proportion of people living below the FPL, as identified by the 1-year ACS estimates.

(B) The Medicare enrollment data from the same measurement period as the Star Rating's year. The Medicare enrollment data would be aggregated from MA contracts that had at least 90 percent of their enrolled beneficiaries with mailing addresses in the 10 highest poverty states.

(vii) A linear regression model is developed to estimate the percentage of LIS/DE for a contacts that solely serve the population of beneficiaries in Puerto Rico.

(A) The maximum value for the modified LIS/DE indicator value per contract would be capped at 100 percent.

(B) All estimated modified LIS/DE values for Puerto Rico would be rounded to 6 decimal places when expressed as a percentage.

(C) The model's coefficient and intercept are updated annually and published in the Technical Notes.

(3) Health equity index. Starting with the 2027 Star Ratings year and subsequent Star Ratings years, CMS applies a health equity index rating-specific factor to both the summary and overall ratings of contracts that qualify based on an assessment of contract performance on quality measures among enrollees with certain social risk factors (SRFs).

(i) The health equity index (HEI) is calculated separately for the overall rating for MA-PDs and cost contracts including the applicable Part C and D measures; Part C summary rating for MA-only, MA-PD, and cost contracts including the applicable Part C measures; Part D summary rating for MA-PDs and cost contracts including the applicable Part D measures; and Part D summary rating for PDPs including the applicable Part D measures.

(A) The SRFs included in the HEI are receipt of the low-income subsidy or being dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (LIS/DE), or having a disability. Enrollees will be identified as LIS/DE or as having a disability as specified in paragraph (f)(2)(i)(B) of this section. If a person meets the LIS/DE criteria for only one of the two measurement years included in the HEI, the data for that person for just that year are used. Measures that are case-mix adjusted in the Star Ratings are adjusted using all standard case-mix adjustors for the measure except for those adjusters that are the SRFs of interest in the index, are strongly correlated with the SRFs of interest, or are conceptually similar to the SRFs of interest.

(B) The HEI is calculated by combining measure-level scores for the subset of enrollees with SRFs of interest included in the HEI across the two most recent measurement years using a modeling approach that includes year as an adjustor to account for potential differences in performance across years and to adjust the data to reflect performance in the second of the 2 years of data used. Measure-level scores are used for contracts that have data for only the most recent of the 2 years, but measure-level scores are not used for contracts that have data for only the first of the 2 years.

(ii) In determining the HEI scores, a measure will be excluded from the calculation of the index if the measure meets any of the following:

(A) The focus of the measurement is not the enrollee but rather the plan or provider.

(B) The measure is retired, moved to display, or has a substantive specification change in either year of data used to construct the HEI.

(C) The measure is applicable only to SNPs.

(D) At least 25 percent of contracts are unable to meet the criteria specified in paragraph (f)(3)(iv) of this section. For Part D measures, this criterion is assessed separately for MA-PDs and cost contracts, and for PDPs.

(iii) The Star Ratings measures that remain after the exclusion criteria in paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section have been applied will be included in the calculation of the HEI. CMS will announce the measures being evaluated for inclusion in the calculation of the HEI under this paragraph (f)(3) of this section through the process described for changes in and adoption of payment and risk adjustment policies in section 1853(b) of the Act.

(iv) For a measure to be included in the calculation of a contract's HEI score, the measure must meet both of the following criteria:

(A) The measure must have a reliability of at least 0.7 for the contract when calculated for the combined subset of enrollees with the SRF(s) specified in paragraph (f)(3)(i)(A) of this section across 2 years of data.

(B) The measure-specific denominator criteria must be met for the contract using only the combined subset of enrollees with the SRF(s) specified in paragraph (f)(3)(i)(A) of this section across 2 years of data.

(v) To calculate the rating-specific HEI score, the distribution of contract performance on each eligible measure for the subset of enrollees that have one or more of the specified SRFs will be assessed and separated into thirds, with the top third of contracts receiving 1 point, the middle third of contracts receiving 0 points, and the bottom third of contracts receiving −1 point. The rating-specific HEI will then be calculated as the weighted sum of points across all measures included in the index using the Star Ratings measure weight for each measure divided by the weighted sum of the number of eligible measures for the given contract. The measure weight for each measure is the weight used for the measure in the current Star Ratings year as specified in paragraph (e) of this section.

(vi) To have the HEI calculated, contracts must have at least 500 enrollees in the most recent measurement year used in the HEI and have at least half of the measures included in the HEI meet the criteria specified under paragraph (f)(3)(iv) of this section.

(vii) In order to qualify for the full HEI reward, contracts must have percentages of enrollees with the specified SRFs combined greater than or equal to the contract-level median in the most recent year of data used to calculate the HEI and a rating-specific minimum index score of greater than zero. In order to qualify for one-half of the HEI reward, contracts must have percentages of enrollees with SRFs greater than or equal to one-half of the contract-level median up to, but not including, the contract-level median percentage of enrollees with SRFs in the most recent year of data used to calculate the HEI and a rating-specific minimum index score of greater than zero. One-half of the contract-level median and the contract-level median enrollment percentages are assessed separately for contracts that offer Part C and stand-alone Part D contracts.

(A) For contracts with service areas wholly located in Puerto Rico, the percentage of enrollees that are LIS/DE or disabled is calculated by adding the number of DE/disabled enrollees to the estimated LIS percentage calculated by taking the percentage LIS/DE as calculated at §§ 422.166(f)(2)(vi) and (vii) and 423.186(f)(2)(vi) and (vii) and subtracting the percentage of DE enrollees.

(B) Contracts with service areas wholly located in Puerto Rico are excluded from the calculation of one-half of the contract-level median and the contract-level median.

(viii) For contracts that have percentages of enrollees with SRFs greater than or equal to the contract-level median enrollment percentage, the HEI reward added to the contract's summary and overall ratings will vary from 0 to 0.4 on a linear scale with a contract receiving 0 if the contract receives a score of 0 or less on the HEI and 0.4 if the contract receives a score of 1 on the HEI. For contracts that have percentages of enrollees with SRFs greater than or equal to one-half the median percentage of enrollees with SRFs up to, but not including, the contract-level median percentage of enrollees with SRFs, the HEI reward added to the contract's summary and overall ratings will vary from 0 to 0.2 on a linear scale, with a contract receiving 0 if the contract receives a score of 0 or less on the HEI and 0.2 if the contract receives a score of 1 on the HEI. The HEI reward is rounded and displayed with 6 decimal places. Contracts that cannot have a HEI score calculated (that is, contracts that are not scored on at least half of the measures included in the index) will not receive an HEI reward.

(A) In the case of contract consolidations involving two or more contracts for health or drug services of the same plan type under the same parent organization, CMS calculates the HEI reward for the surviving contract accounting for both the surviving and consumed contract(s). For the first year following a consolidation, the HEI reward for the surviving contract is calculated as the enrollment-weighted mean of the HEI reward of the consumed and surviving contracts using total contract enrollment from July of the most recent measurement year used in calculating the HEI reward. A reward value of zero is used in calculating the enrollment-weighted mean for contracts that do not meet the minimum percentage of enrollees with the SRF thresholds or the minimum performance threshold specified at paragraph (f)(3)(vii) of this section.

(B) For the second year following a consolidation when calculating the HEI score for the surviving contract, the patient-level data used in calculating the HEI score will be combined from the consumed and surviving contracts and used in calculating the HEI score.

(ix) The HEI reward is calculated separately for, and then added to, the overall rating, Part C rating for MA-PDs and MA-only contracts (and cost contracts), Part D rating for MA-PDs (and cost contracts), and Part D rating for PDPs after the addition of the CAI as specified in paragraph (f)(2) of this section and application of the improvement measures as specified in paragraph (g) of this section and before the final overall and Part C and D summary ratings are calculated by rounding to the nearest half star.

(g) Applying the improvement measure scores. (1) CMS runs the calculations twice for the highest level rating for each contract-type (overall rating for MA-PD contracts and Part D summary rating for PDPs), with the reward factor adjustment if applicable and the CAI adjustment, once including the improvement measure(s) and once without including the improvement measure(s). In deciding whether to include the improvement measures in a contract's final highest rating, CMS applies the following rules:

(i) If the highest rating for each contract-type is 4 stars or more without the use of the improvement measure(s) and with all applicable adjustments (CAI and the reward factor), a comparison of the highest rating with and without the improvement measure(s) is done. The higher rating is used for the rating.

(ii) If the highest rating is less than 4 stars without the use of the improvement measure(s) and with all applicable adjustments (CAI and the reward factor), the rating will be calculated with the improvement measure(s).

(2) The Part D summary rating for MA-PDs will include the Part D improvement measure.

(3) For 2022 Star Ratings only, CMS runs the calculations twice for the highest rating for each contract-type (overall rating for MA-PD contracts and Part D summary rating for PDPs) and Part D summary rating for MA-PDs with all applicable adjustments (CAI and the reward factor), once including the improvement measure(s) and once without including the improvement measure(s). In deciding whether to include the improvement measures in a contract's highest and summary rating(s), CMS applies the following rules:

(i) For MA-PDs and PDPs, a comparison of the highest rating with and without the improvement measure is done. The higher rating is used for the highest rating.

(ii) For MA-PDs, a comparison of the Part D summary rating with and without the improvement measure is done. The higher rating is used for the summary rating.

(h) Posting and display of ratings. For all ratings at the measure, domain, summary and overall level, posting and display of the ratings is based on there being sufficient data to calculate and assign ratings. If a contract does not have sufficient data to calculate a rating, the posting and display would be the flag “Not enough data available.” If the measurement period is prior to one year past the contract's effective date, the posting and display would be the flag “Plan too new to be measured”.

(1) Medicare Plan Finder performance icons. Icons are displayed on Medicare Plan Finder to note performance as provided in this paragraph (h)(1):

(i) High-performing icon. The high performing icon is assigned to a Part D plan sponsor for achieving a 5-star Part D summary rating and an MA-PD contract for a 5-star overall rating.

(ii) Low-performing icon. (A) A contract receives a low performing icon as a result of its performance on the Part C or Part D summary ratings. The low performing icon is calculated by evaluating the Part C and Part D summary ratings for the current year and the past 2 years. If the contract had any combination of Part C or Part D summary ratings of 2.5 or lower in all 3 years of data, it is marked with a low performing icon. A contract must have a rating in either Part C or Part D for all 3 years to be considered for this icon.

(B) CMS may disable the Medicare Plan Finder online enrollment function (in Medicare Plan Finder) for Medicare health and prescription drug plans with the low performing icon; beneficiaries will be directed to contact the plan directly to enroll in the low-performing plan.

(2) Plan preview of the Star Ratings. CMS will have plan preview periods before each Star Ratings release during which Part D plan sponsors can preview their Star Ratings data in HPMS prior to display on the Medicare Plan Finder.

(i) Extreme and uncontrollable circumstances. In the event of extreme and uncontrollable circumstances that may negatively impact operational and clinical systems and contracts' abilities to conduct surveys needed for accurate performance measurement, CMS calculates the Star Ratings as specified in paragraphs (i)(2) through (8) of this section for each contract that is an affected contract during the performance period for the applicable measures. We use the start date of the incident period to determine which year of Star Ratings could be affected, regardless of whether the incident period lasts until another calendar year.

(1) Identification of affected contracts. A contract that meets all of the following criteria is an affected contract:

(i) The contract's service area is within an “emergency area” during an “emergency period” as defined in section 1135(g) of the Act.

(ii) The contract's service area is within a county, parish, U.S. territory or tribal area designated in a major disaster declaration under the Stafford Act and the Secretary exercised authority under section 1135 of the Act based on the same triggering event(s).

(iii) As specified in paragraphs (i)(2) through (8) of this section, a certain minimum percentage (25 percent or 60 percent) of the enrollees under the contract must reside in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance.

(2) CAHPS adjustments. (i) A contract, even if an affected contract, must administer the CAHPS survey unless exempt under paragraph (i)(2)(ii) of this section.

(ii) An affected contract with at least 25 percent of enrollees in FEMA-designated Individual Assistance areas at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance is exempt from administering the CAHPS survey if the contract completes both of the following:

(A) Demonstrates to CMS that the required sample for the survey cannot be contacted because a substantial number of the contract's enrollees are displaced due to the FEMA-designated disaster identified in paragraph (i)(1)(iii) of this section in the prior calendar year.

(B) Requests and receives a CMS approved exemption.

(iii) An affected contract with an exemption described in paragraph (i)(2)(ii) of this section receives the contract's CAHPS measure stars and corresponding measure scores from the prior year.

(iv) For an affected contract with at least 25 percent of enrollees in FEMA-designated Individual Assistance areas at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance, the contract receives the higher of the previous year's Star Rating or the current year's Star Rating (and corresponding measure score) for each CAHPS measure.

(v) When a contract is an affected contract with at least 25 percent of enrollees in FEMA-designated Individual Assistance areas at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance with regard to separate extreme and uncontrollable circumstances that begin in successive years, it is a multiple year-affected contract. A multiple year-affected contract receives the higher of the current year's Star Rating or what the previous year's Star Rating would have been in the absence of any adjustments that took into account the effects of the previous year's disaster for each measure (using the corresponding measure score for the Star Ratings year selected).

(3) New measure adjustments. For affected contracts with at least 25 percent of enrollees in a FEMA-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance, CMS holds the affected contract harmless by using the higher of the contract's summary or overall rating or both with and without including all of the applicable new measures.

(4) Other Star Ratings measure adjustments. (i) For all other Part D measures except those measures identified in this paragraph (i)(4)(ii) of this section, affected contracts with at least 25 percent of enrollees in a FEMA-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance receive the higher of the previous or current year's measure Star Rating (and corresponding measure score).

(ii) CMS does not adjust the scores of the Star Ratings for the Part D Call Center—Foreign Language Interpreter and TTY Availability measure, unless the exemption listed in paragraph (i)(4)(iii) of this section applies.

(iii) CMS adjusts the measure listed in paragraph (i)(4)(ii) of this section using the adjustments listed in paragraph (i)(4)(i) of this section for contracts affected by extreme and uncontrollable circumstances where there are continuing communications issues related to loss of electricity and damage to infrastructure during the call center study.

(iv) When a contract is an affected contract with at least 25 percent of enrollees in FEMA-designated Individual Assistance areas at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance with regard to separate extreme and uncontrollable circumstances that begin in successive years, it is a multiple year-affected contract. A multiple year-affected contract receives the higher of the current year's Star Rating or what the previous year's Star Rating would have been in the absence of any adjustments that took into account the effects of the previous year's disaster for each measure (using the corresponding measure score for the Star Ratings year selected).

(5) Exclusion from improvement measures. Any measure that reverts back to the data underlying the previous year's Star Rating due to the adjustments made in paragraph (i) of this section is excluded from both the count of measures and the applicable improvement measures for the current and next year's Star Ratings for the affected contract. Contracts affected by extreme and uncontrollable circumstances do not have the option of reverting to the prior year's improvement rating.

(6) Missing data. For an affected contract that has missing data in the current or previous year, the final measure rating comes from the current year unless an exemption described in paragraph (i)(2)(ii) of this section applies. Missing data includes data where there is a data integrity issue as defined at § 423.184(g)(1).

(7) Cut points for non-CAHPS measures. (i) Through the 2025 Star Ratings, CMS excludes the numeric values for affected contracts with 60 percent or more of their enrollees in the FEMA-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance from the clustering algorithms described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(ii) The cut points calculated as described in paragraph (i)(7)(i) of this section are used to assess all affected contracts' measure Star Ratings.

(8) Reward factor. (i) Through the 2025 Star Ratings, CMS excludes the numeric values for affected contracts with 60 percent or more of their enrollees in the FEMA-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance from the determination of the performance summary and variance thresholds for the reward factor described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section.

(ii) All affected contracts are eligible for the Reward Factor based on the calculations described in paragraph (i)(8)(i) of this section.

(9) Special rules for the 2022 Star Ratings only. For the 2022 Star Ratings only, CMS will not apply the provisions in paragraph (i)(7) or (8) of this section and CMS will not exclude the numeric values for affected contracts with 60 percent or more of their enrollees in the FEMA-designated Individual Assistance area at the time of the extreme and uncontrollable circumstance from the clustering algorithms or from the determination of the performance summary and variance thresholds for the Reward Factor.

(j) Special rules for 2021 Star Ratings only. (1) For the 2021 Star Ratings:

(i) The measures calculated based on CAHPS data are calculated based on survey data collected from March through May 2019.

(ii) The measure-level change score calculation described at § 423.184(f)(4)(i) is not applied for CAHPS measures and the measure-level change score used for the 2020 Star Ratings is applied in its place for all CAHPS-based measures.

(iii) The provisions of § 423.184(g)(2) are not applied for failure to submit CAHPS-based measures.

(iv) [Reserved]

(2) [Reserved]

[83 FR 16743, Apr. 16, 2018, as amended at 84 FR 15842, Apr. 16, 2019; 85 FR 19291, Apr. 6, 2020; 85 FR 33911, June 2, 2020; 85 FR 54872, Sept. 2, 2020; 86 FR 6118, Jan. 19, 2021; 87 FR 27899, May 9, 2022; 88 FR 22338, Apr. 12, 2023; 89 FR 30835, Apr. 23, 2024]