(5)(a) The agency shall implement a Medicaid prescribed-drug spending-control program that includes the following components:1. A Medicaid preferred drug list, which shall be a listing of cost-effective therapeutic options recommended by the Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee established pursuant to s. 409.91195 and adopted by the agency for each therapeutic class on the preferred drug list. At the discretion of the committee, and when feasible, the preferred drug list should include at least two products in a therapeutic class. The agency may post the preferred drug list and updates to the list on an Internet website without following the rulemaking procedures of chapter 120. Antiretroviral agents are excluded from the preferred drug list. The agency shall also limit the amount of a prescribed drug dispensed to no more than a 34-day supply unless the drug products’ smallest marketed package is greater than a 34-day supply, or the drug is determined by the agency to be a maintenance drug in which case a 100-day maximum supply may be authorized. The agency may seek any federal waivers necessary to implement these cost-control programs and to continue participation in the federal Medicaid rebate program, or alternatively to negotiate state-only manufacturer rebates. The agency may adopt rules to administer this subparagraph. The agency shall continue to provide unlimited contraceptive drugs and items. The agency must establish procedures to ensure that:a. There is a response to a request for prior consultation by telephone or other telecommunication device within 24 hours after receipt of a request for prior consultation; and
b. A 72-hour supply of the drug prescribed is provided in an emergency or when the agency does not provide a response within 24 hours as required by sub-subparagraph a.
2. Reimbursement to pharmacies for Medicaid prescribed drugs shall be set at the lowest of: the average wholesale price (AWP) minus 16.4 percent, the wholesaler acquisition cost (WAC) plus 1.5 percent, the federal upper limit (FUL), the state maximum allowable cost (SMAC), or the usual and customary (UAC) charge billed by the provider.
3. The agency shall develop and implement a process for managing the drug therapies of Medicaid recipients who are using significant numbers of prescribed drugs each month. The management process may include, but is not limited to, comprehensive, physician-directed medical-record reviews, claims analyses, and case evaluations to determine the medical necessity and appropriateness of a patient’s treatment plan and drug therapies. The agency may contract with a private organization to provide drug-program-management services. The Medicaid drug benefit management program shall include initiatives to manage drug therapies for HIV/AIDS patients, patients using 20 or more unique prescriptions in a 180-day period, and the top 1,000 patients in annual spending. The agency shall enroll any Medicaid recipient in the drug benefit management program if he or she meets the specifications of this provision and is not enrolled in a Medicaid health maintenance organization.
4. The agency may limit the size of its pharmacy network based on need, competitive bidding, price negotiations, credentialing, or similar criteria. The agency shall give special consideration to rural areas in determining the size and location of pharmacies included in the Medicaid pharmacy network. A pharmacy credentialing process may include criteria such as a pharmacy’s full-service status, location, size, patient educational programs, patient consultation, disease management services, and other characteristics. The agency may impose a moratorium on Medicaid pharmacy enrollment if it is determined that it has a sufficient number of Medicaid-participating providers. The agency must allow dispensing practitioners to participate as a part of the Medicaid pharmacy network regardless of the practitioner’s proximity to any other entity that is dispensing prescription drugs under the Medicaid program. A dispensing practitioner must meet all credentialing requirements applicable to his or her practice, as determined by the agency.
5. The agency shall develop and implement a program that requires Medicaid practitioners who prescribe drugs to use a counterfeit-proof prescription pad for Medicaid prescriptions. The agency shall require the use of standardized counterfeit-proof prescription pads by Medicaid-participating prescribers or prescribers who write prescriptions for Medicaid recipients. The agency may implement the program in targeted geographic areas or statewide.
6. The agency may enter into arrangements that require manufacturers of generic drugs prescribed to Medicaid recipients to provide rebates of at least 15.1 percent of the average manufacturer price for the manufacturer’s generic products. These arrangements shall require that if a generic-drug manufacturer pays federal rebates for Medicaid-reimbursed drugs at a level below 15.1 percent, the manufacturer must provide a supplemental rebate to the state in an amount necessary to achieve a 15.1-percent rebate level.
7. The agency may establish a preferred drug list as described in this subsection, and, pursuant to the establishment of such preferred drug list, negotiate supplemental rebates from manufacturers that are in addition to those required by Title XIX of the Social Security Act and at no less than 14 percent of the average manufacturer price as defined in 42 U.S.C. s. 1936 on the last day of a quarter unless the federal or supplemental rebate, or both, equals or exceeds 29 percent. There is no upper limit on the supplemental rebates the agency may negotiate. The agency may determine that specific products, brand-name or generic, are competitive at lower rebate percentages. Agreement to pay the minimum supplemental rebate percentage guarantees a manufacturer that the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee will consider a product for inclusion on the preferred drug list. However, a pharmaceutical manufacturer is not guaranteed placement on the preferred drug list by simply paying the minimum supplemental rebate. Agency decisions will be made on the clinical efficacy of a drug and recommendations of the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee, as well as the price of competing products minus federal and state rebates. The agency may contract with an outside agency or contractor to conduct negotiations for supplemental rebates. For the purposes of this section, the term “supplemental rebates” means cash rebates. Value-added programs as a substitution for supplemental rebates are prohibited. The agency may seek any federal waivers to implement this initiative.
8. The agency shall expand home delivery of pharmacy products. The agency may amend the state plan and issue a procurement, as necessary, in order to implement this program. The procurements must include agreements with a pharmacy or pharmacies located in the state to provide mail order delivery services at no cost to the recipients who elect to receive home delivery of pharmacy products. The procurement must focus on serving recipients with chronic diseases for which pharmacy expenditures represent a significant portion of Medicaid pharmacy expenditures or which impact a significant portion of the Medicaid population. The agency may seek and implement any federal waivers necessary to implement this subparagraph.
9. The agency shall limit to one dose per month any drug prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction.
10.a. The agency may implement a Medicaid behavioral drug management system. The agency may contract with a vendor that has experience in operating behavioral drug management systems to implement this program. The agency may seek federal waivers to implement this program.
b. The agency, in conjunction with the Department of Children and Families, may implement the Medicaid behavioral drug management system that is designed to improve the quality of care and behavioral health prescribing practices based on best practice guidelines, improve patient adherence to medication plans, reduce clinical risk, and lower prescribed drug costs and the rate of inappropriate spending on Medicaid behavioral drugs. The program may include the following elements:(I) Provide for the development and adoption of best practice guidelines for behavioral health-related drugs such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and medications for treating bipolar disorders and other behavioral conditions; translate them into practice; review behavioral health prescribers and compare their prescribing patterns to a number of indicators that are based on national standards; and determine deviations from best practice guidelines.
(II) Implement processes for providing feedback to and educating prescribers using best practice educational materials and peer-to-peer consultation.
(III) Assess Medicaid beneficiaries who are outliers in their use of behavioral health drugs with regard to the numbers and types of drugs taken, drug dosages, combination drug therapies, and other indicators of improper use of behavioral health drugs.
(IV) Alert prescribers to patients who fail to refill prescriptions in a timely fashion, are prescribed multiple same-class behavioral health drugs, and may have other potential medication problems.
(V) Track spending trends for behavioral health drugs and deviation from best practice guidelines.
(VI) Use educational and technological approaches to promote best practices, educate consumers, and train prescribers in the use of practice guidelines.
(VII) Disseminate electronic and published materials.
(VIII) Hold statewide and regional conferences.
(IX) Implement a disease management program with a model quality-based medication component for severely mentally ill individuals and emotionally disturbed children who are high users of care.
11. The agency shall implement a Medicaid prescription drug management system.a. The agency may contract with a vendor that has experience in operating prescription drug management systems in order to implement this system. Any management system that is implemented in accordance with this subparagraph must rely on cooperation between physicians and pharmacists to determine appropriate practice patterns and clinical guidelines to improve the prescribing, dispensing, and use of drugs in the Medicaid program. The agency may seek federal waivers to implement this program.
b. The drug management system must be designed to improve the quality of care and prescribing practices based on best practice guidelines, improve patient adherence to medication plans, reduce clinical risk, and lower prescribed drug costs and the rate of inappropriate spending on Medicaid prescription drugs. The program must:(I) Provide for the adoption of best practice guidelines for the prescribing and use of drugs in the Medicaid program, including translating best practice guidelines into practice; reviewing prescriber patterns and comparing them to indicators that are based on national standards and practice patterns of clinical peers in their community, statewide, and nationally; and determine deviations from best practice guidelines.
(II) Implement processes for providing feedback to and educating prescribers using best practice educational materials and peer-to-peer consultation.
(III) Assess Medicaid recipients who are outliers in their use of a single or multiple prescription drugs with regard to the numbers and types of drugs taken, drug dosages, combination drug therapies, and other indicators of improper use of prescription drugs.
(IV) Alert prescribers to recipients who fail to refill prescriptions in a timely fashion, are prescribed multiple drugs that may be redundant or contraindicated, or may have other potential medication problems.
12. The agency may contract for drug rebate administration, including, but not limited to, calculating rebate amounts, invoicing manufacturers, negotiating disputes with manufacturers, and maintaining a database of rebate collections.
13. The agency may specify the preferred daily dosing form or strength for the purpose of promoting best practices with regard to the prescribing of certain drugs as specified in the General Appropriations Act and ensuring cost-effective prescribing practices.
14. The agency may require prior authorization for Medicaid-covered prescribed drugs. The agency may prior-authorize the use of a product:a. For an indication not approved in labeling;
b. To comply with certain clinical guidelines; or
c. If the product has the potential for overuse, misuse, or abuse.
The agency may require the prescribing professional to provide information about the rationale and supporting medical evidence for the use of a drug. The agency shall post prior authorization, step-edit criteria and protocol, and updates to the list of drugs that are subject to prior authorization on the agency’s Internet website within 21 days after the prior authorization and step-edit criteria and protocol and updates are approved by the agency. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “step-edit” means an automatic electronic review of certain medications subject to prior authorization.
15. The agency, in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee, may require age-related prior authorizations for certain prescribed drugs. The agency may preauthorize the use of a drug for a recipient who may not meet the age requirement or may exceed the length of therapy for use of this product as recommended by the manufacturer and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Prior authorization may require the prescribing professional to provide information about the rationale and supporting medical evidence for the use of a drug.
16. The agency shall implement a step-therapy prior authorization approval process for medications excluded from the preferred drug list. Medications listed on the preferred drug list must be used within the previous 12 months before the alternative medications that are not listed. The step-therapy prior authorization may require the prescriber to use the medications of a similar drug class or for a similar medical indication unless contraindicated in the Food and Drug Administration labeling. The trial period between the specified steps may vary according to the medical indication. The step-therapy approval process shall be developed in accordance with the committee as stated in s. 409.91195(7) and (8). A drug product may be approved without meeting the step-therapy prior authorization criteria if the prescribing physician provides the agency with additional written medical or clinical documentation that the product is medically necessary because:a. There is not a drug on the preferred drug list to treat the disease or medical condition which is an acceptable clinical alternative;
b. The alternatives have been ineffective in the treatment of the beneficiary’s disease; or
c. Based on historic evidence and known characteristics of the patient and the drug, the drug is likely to be ineffective, or the number of doses have been ineffective.
The agency shall work with the physician to determine the best alternative for the patient. The agency may adopt rules waiving the requirements for written clinical documentation for specific drugs in limited clinical situations.
17. The agency shall implement a return and reuse program for drugs dispensed by pharmacies to institutional recipients, which includes payment of a $5 restocking fee for the implementation and operation of the program. The return and reuse program shall be implemented electronically and in a manner that promotes efficiency. The program must permit a pharmacy to exclude drugs from the program if it is not practical or cost-effective for the drug to be included and must provide for the return to inventory of drugs that cannot be credited or returned in a cost-effective manner. The agency shall determine if the program has reduced the amount of Medicaid prescription drugs which are destroyed on an annual basis and if there are additional ways to ensure more prescription drugs are not destroyed which could safely be reused.