Merck & Company, Inc. has announced two new programs to help confirm a patient's insurance coverage and address a physician's reimbursement concerns regarding Gardasil, the quadrivalent human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine.

Merck's new Confidence in Coverage Status program will provide doctors with patients' insurance benefit information prior to office visits. Physicians who participate will be able to determine which of their privately insured 19 to 26 year old female patients who are scheduled for office visits in the next one to two weeks have coverage for the Gardasil vaccination. By submitting the patients' names, birth dates and insurance information, as well as relevant provider information, to www.vaccinesupportservices.com or faxing to 1-866-209-9051, physicians will receive, within three to five days, faxed reports that include coverage status and, if applicable, co-pay, coinsurance and deductible amounts. Merck states this service, provided by Covance Market Access Services, complies with requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The second program is the Patient Rebate Program for Gardasil. In this program , eligible privately insured 19 to 26 year old female patients who receive Gardasil doses from April 1, 2009, through April 30, 2010, will be eligible for a rebate when their out-of-pocket costs for Gardasil exceed $30 per dose. The maximum rebate is $130 per dose. Patients must file for the rebate within 90 days from the date each dose was administered. Rebates should be received within six to eight weeks of submission.

For additional information about these programs, visit www.gardasil.com/rebate. To request rebate forms, call 1-800-GARDASIL (427-3274).