July 22, 2013 — With fewer than 10 days left until manufacturers must begin collecting required data under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act – data collection starts Aug. 1 – many companies likely are scrambling to find answers to questions that are popping up as the regulations become reality.

To assist affected entities, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a number of resources – including an overview, definitions and acronyms, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) – on its National Physician Payment Transparency Program OPEN PAYMENTS Web site.

To access those resources, go to: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/National-Physician-Payment-Transparency-Program/index.html

For information specific to applicable manufacturers, go to: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/National-Physician-Payment-Transparency-Program/Applicable-Manufacturers-subpage.html

For other FAQs about the regulations, see: https://questions.cms.gov/faq.php?id=5005&rtopic=2017&rsubtopic=7803

Many comprehensive articles about the information provided by CMS on its site also can be found on the Policy and Medicine Web site. For the most recent article on this topic, go to: http://www.policymed.com/2013/07/physician-payment-sunshine-act-open-payment-questions-and-answers-by-topic-category.html