Subject: Preserving patient access to needed medicine

Dear Medical Director:

I need your help in addressing a medical concern that has arisen in the treatment of Medicare beneficiaries I see in my practice.  Recently, the Medicare program implemented a reimbursement code change to reduce costs for Xopenex® inhalation solution, one of the products I use to treat patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  This change created a situation that could potentially limit patient access to Xopenex, one of only two therapies approved by the FDA to treat the exacerbations often associated with asthma and COPD.

Suddenly, patients in my medical practice who I have placed on Xopenex, a proven inhaler for Medicare beneficiaries who suffer from bronchospasm (tightening of the airways), are finding that certain suppliers are encouraging them to switch to generic albuterol.

The reason that providers are encouraging my Medicare patients to "switch" is of great concern to me and can impact continuity of care for my patients.  By lowering the reimbursement price for Xopenex, Medicare raised the reimbursement for generic albuterol six-fold, creating an economic incentive for distributors to dispense the product with better profit margins – not the therapy that I have determined is best medically for my patient’s condition.  That is unacceptable and can hurt my patient’s care and worsen their condition.

I hope you will address this pressing patient care concern. When cost considerations create reimbursement incentives that potentially impact clinical decisions, a line has been crossed and care of Medicare patients is placed in jeopardy.  The physician/patient relationship must remain paramount and protected in all such policy determinations.

Your support is needed.  Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

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Tell Congress to protect your patients’ access to necessary respiratory medication.

Fill out the form below to send a letter to U.S. Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators. Your expert opinion is essential to educate influential legislators about the importance of updating reimbursement policy to ensure that doctors and patients have access to Xopenex®.

For more information about how the proposed reimbursement action for Xopenex may affect your patients and interfere with your practice of medicine, click here.

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Here some things to keep in mind:

How would you describe your practice by size and specialty?
How long have you been practicing medicine?
Approximately what percentage of your patients are Medicare beneficiaries?
Approximately what percentage of your Medicare patients do you prescribe Xopenex® (levalbuterol HCl) Inhalation Solution for their asthma or COPD? Why?
How important is it to you that reimbursement considerations that create an imbalanced economic incentive be removed from healthcare decision making for Medicare beneficiaries?

Your Xopenex®(levalbuterol HCl) Prescription May Be at Risk

Tell Congress to protect your patients’ access to necessary respiratory medication.