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June 14, 2009
Researchers associate Medicaid rules with adverse outcomes among mentally ill patients
Medscape (6/4, Kelly) reported that, according to a study published in the May issue of Psychiatric Services, "some state Medicaid requirements meant to save money are associated with more adverse outcomes among mentally ill patients and might actually be increasing mental-health costs."
Researchers from the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education found that "practices, such as requiring a switch to generics, placing limits on the number or dosing of medication, requiring prior authorization, and requiring use of step therapy or fail-first protocols were associated with a greater number of adverse events in patients."
They came to this conclusion after collecting data "from 857 psychiatrists in California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas." Specifically, the team found that "patients who had problems with copayments had a nearly eight-fold greater likelihood of experiencing an adverse event," and that "all of the access problems were associated with increased emergency visits and psychiatric hospitalizations."
Posted by admin at June 14, 2009 12:34 PM