Japan sets up panel to appraise fee revision

Japan's Chuikyo (Central Social Insurance and Medical Council) has approved the establishment of a sub-panel which will appraise the implementation/achievements and effects in the revision and newly-inaugurated items including issuing receipts indicating specific medical treatments, management of nicotine addiction or smoking cessation, measurement of medical safety and substitution of branded drugs to generic drugs in the 2006 medical fee revisions. This is in order to allow the Japanese polulation to grasp the progress and results of the medical fee revisions at its general meeting in April 19.

Among other things, the number of physicians' checks (approvals) in a column on a prescription format allowing pharmacist to change generic drugs (depending on patients' request) and the number of people who have changed branded products to generics will be appraised.