April 18, 2003
The MGH Drug Therapy Committee soon will be introducing a new program that will help MGH clinicians determine which medications can be offered to patients who qualify for free care. The new program includes a medication formulary — or list of preferred drugs — that will help clinicians better manage these prescriptions in a cost-effective way. The program also will offer a patient counseling service to help educate patients about their medications.
Each
year, the MGH provides millions of dollars worth of free medical care and
medications to uninsured patients who otherwise would go without quality
medical care.The new medication formulary allows clinicians to choose from one or two preferred medications for each of the major treatment areas. Medications prescribed that are not on the formulary will require approval from the on-call pharmacist. Physicians may page the on-call pharmacist (beeper 22324) between 9 am and 5 pm to explain the clinical reasons for prescribing a non-formulary medication. At other times, physicians may fax a brief statement, using the on-line prior approval form, regarding the need for the non-formulary medication. This approval process will help ensure that exceptions are made thoughtfully and appropriately.
The formulary can be viewed by selecting "drug information" at http://oi.mgh.harvard.edu/pcoi. For more information about the program, call Ron Gaudette at (617) 724-3684.
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