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CMS has set up a dedicated telephone help line for pharmacists with Part D problems at 1-(866) 835-7595, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Officials stressed that pharmacists should not give the phone number to patients or advocacy groups. Pharmacists who have questions about dual eligibles or WellPoint should phone 1-(800) 662-0210, and those trying to check whether a Medicare patient is enrolled in Part D should phone 1-(800) 388-2316.

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Pharmacists trying to help elderly patients find their way through the Medicare Part D maze report that many seniors feel like that old song: "Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered."

The new competitive acquisition program (CAP) for Medicare Part Bdrugs aims to realign the market forces shaping the distribution ofdrugs and biologics that doctors administer in their offices. Butif it is to survive, CAP must balance market conditions affectingphysicians, vendors, and manufacturers. We believe it does not doso per the implementing regulations published in the Nov. 21Federal Register.

Updates on two important and ongoing projects were the focus of discussion at the 36th annual meeting of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), Senior Care Pharmacy '05, held recently in Boston.