Medicaid Mail Order Set for Final AdoptionTake Action!
20,000 Medicaid Patients Required to be Selected by AHCA
 
Budget Proviso Language Likely to Affect Community Pharmacy Medicaid Patients

 

Language was agreed to in the budget proviso that directs the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to issue an invitation to negotiate (ITN) for a pharmacy or pharmacies to provide mail order services to 20,000 chronically ill patients. These patients who are suppose to have the option to participate are required to be selected by AHCA in the budget language. Since this is an agreed to issue in the budget by both the House and Senate chambers only the Governor can stop it from moving forward by issuing a veto.

 

This ill advised budget proposal seeks to unhook patients with chronic diseases from their current pharmacy providers.  This includes those patients with developmental disabilities such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease who may not understand how mail order services may work.  This proposal would likely result in patients getting their maintenance drugs from one provider and their acute care medications from another.  This is not continuity or coordination of care.  You may be filling prescriptions for patients without their complete medication history which could result in very serious AND AVOIDABLE life threatening medication safety challenges.  Uncordinated care is contrary to good medication therapy management practices.

 

The FPA has learned that the Agency for Health Care Administration is neutral on this proposed language.

 

This issue clearly is the work of a company who is trying to convince your legislators to write policy to transfer your business away from you.  This is not how public policy should be written or used.  The proposal seeks to move 20,000 patients to mail order.  From what we have learned the total target population of Medicaid patients who would likely qualify is less than 35,000.  This is over 60% of the entire Medicaid chronically ill patient population moved by policy to one pharmacy provider!

 

Call Governor Crist and ask that he VETO the proviso language in line 205 sending 20,000 patients with chronic diseases into mail order pharmacy.
Charlie Crist for US Senate Campaign Office – (850) 907-1218
Governor Charlie Crist Office (850) 488-7146

 

Michael Jackson, BPharm
Executive Vice President and CEO
Florida Pharmacy Association
610 North Adams Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
www.pharmview.com