Nebraska
Medicaid Program
Pharmacy Services
Nebraska Behavioral Health Drug Education Project
The Nebraska Medicaid Reform Plan of December 1, 2005 found that "the fastest
growing expenditure category in the Medicaid Program is prescribed drugs" and,
specifically, that the prescribed drugs used to treat mental health disorders are among
the most expensive and fastest growing. The report recommended that Nebraska adopt a
program similar to the Missouri Mental Health Medicaid Pharmacy Partnership model to
improve standards of practice for providers using drugs to treat mental health conditions
and to control the growth in Medicaid spending. The approach does not rely on prior
authorization, but uses monitoring and education of prescribers regarding best practices
to effect changes in behavior.
A DHHS workgroup was established to operate the program using the following
strategies:
Review research and work with professional organizations and health care providers to
identify best practice standards for the prescribing of mental health drugs;
Use available expertise and resources to design clinical focus areas;
Analyze data for accuracy and applicability
Contact prescribers with educational materials - outreach letters, referrals to on-line
resources, and clinical one-on-one consultation;
Report results to DHHS internal stakeholders, the Legislature, the Medicaid Reform
Advisory Council, and other interested parties.
DHHS external partners include the Nebraska Medical Association, Magellan Behavioral
Health, and other professional provider organizations. |
