09/21/2023

CMS Hosts Patient Listening Sessions on Drug Negotiation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a series of Patient-Focused Listening Sessions this fall as part of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The virtual public Listening Sessions will provide an opportunity for patients, beneficiaries, caregivers, consumer and patient organizations, and other interested parties to share input relevant to the drugs selected for the first round of negotiations.  

CMS is interested in patient-focused input, including information related to therapeutic alternatives of the selected drugs and how the selected drugs address unmet need, as well as how the selected drugs impact specific populations. The sessions will be listen-only; CMS will not be responding to feedback during the sessions. 

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Dates: The Listening Sessions will be held October 30 – November 15, 2023. Speaker registration is open September 1 – October 2, 2023.

Attendance: The public does not need to register to attend. All sessions will be livestreamed here.    

Public Input Opportunities: There are two ways the public can share feedback and input to CMS related to the selected drugs and their therapeutic alternatives:  

1. Public Statement: Those who wish to make a brief live, public statement should register for the chance to speak at a Listening Session. Each session can accommodate approximately 20 speakers. Additional information for speakers and registration to speak can be found here. 
2. Submitted Statement: Because there are limited speaking opportunities during the live Listening Sessions, CMS encourages the public to submit written input, if interested, in response to the 2023 CMS request for information about selected drugs and evidence about alternative treatments. Information can be submitted here. 

The deadline for both public input opportunities is October 2, 2023 at 11:59 PM PDT.  

The Listening Sessions are subject to change, including postponement and/or cancellation. 

Additional information on the public Listening Sessions can be found here.

Additional information about the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program can be found here.