USA's CMS recognizes NCCN Compendium for cancer care

The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium as a mandated reference for establishment of coverage policy and decisions regarding the use of drugs and biologics in cancer care. The NCCN Compendium will be used by the CMS for national coverage determinations and by intermediaries and carriers for locoregional determinations. The major application will be in determinations about coverage for the use of drugs and biologics in oncology beyond the Food and Drug Administration-approved indication.

This recognition comes on the heels of a recent announcement that UnitedHealthcare would base its coverage for chemotherapy drugs used in out-patient settings on the NCCN Drugs and Biologics Compendium. Recognition from CMS, the USA's largest health insurer, is another positive outcome of adapting and transcribing the recommendations from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology to a compendium format.

The NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium and all other NCCN products and resources are available free of charge at: www.nccn.org.