Psychiatr News May 2, 2008
Volume 43, Number 9, page 44
© 2008 American Psychiatric Association
Psychiatric Practice & Managed Care
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How Is Part D Working for You? APA Wants to Know
Irvin L. "Sam" Muszynski, J.D., director of APA's Office of
Healthcare Systems and Financing (OHSF), is concerned that APA members are
being pressured into prescribing drugs for their Medicare patients that they
think are less than optimal because of access restrictions imposed by Part D
drug plans. He wants APA members to know that OHSF has been very successful in
working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure
that patients with Part D coverage get the medications they require. Since
Part D prescription drug plans are supposed to provide access to all or
substantially all antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anticonvulsants, APA
members who have patients encountering problems with access to drugs in these
categories should contact APA's Managed Care Help Line at (800) 343-4671.
The only way APA can successfully ask that Medicare make necessary systemic
changes to Part D, noted Muszynski, is if OHSF can provide CMS with data
showing those parts of the program that are not working. So please let us hear
from you. Not only will your patients benefit, but so will the patients of
your colleagues.
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