House Bill 2049

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

        By Representative Kelly






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Medicaid prescribed drug

  3         services; amending s. 409.912, F.S.;

  4         authorizing the Agency for Health Care

  5         Administration to implement a Medicaid

  6         preferred prescribed drug designation program;

  7         authorizing the agency to implement prescribed

  8         drug cost containment initiatives; providing

  9         for a formulary; requiring an annual report;

10         creating s. 409.91203, F.S.; establishing a

11         pharmacy and therapeutics committee to advise

12         the agency regarding the Medicaid preferred

13         prescribed drug designation program; providing

14         for appointment of members; providing duties;

15         providing for reimbursement of committee

16         members' expenses; providing an effective date.

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18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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20         Section 1.  Subsection (37) is added to section

21  409.912, Florida Statutes, to read:

22         409.912  Cost-effective purchasing of health care.--The

23  agency shall purchase goods and services for Medicaid

24  recipients in the most cost-effective manner consistent with

25  the delivery of quality medical care.  The agency shall

26  maximize the use of prepaid per capita and prepaid aggregate

27  fixed-sum basis services when appropriate and other

28  alternative service delivery and reimbursement methodologies,

29  including competitive bidding pursuant to s. 287.057, designed

30  to facilitate the cost-effective purchase of a case-managed

31  continuum of care. The agency shall also require providers to

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

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  1  minimize the exposure of recipients to the need for acute

  2  inpatient, custodial, and other institutional care and the

  3  inappropriate or unnecessary use of high-cost services.

  4         (37)(a)  The agency is authorized to develop and

  5  implement a Medicaid preferred prescribed drug designation

  6  program. Consultation with another physician shall be required

  7  prior to prescription of a drug that has not received

  8  preferred prescribed drug designation under the program. The

  9  pharmacy and therapeutics committee established in s.

10  409.91203 shall advise the agency in the development and

11  implementation of the program.

12         (b)  The agency is authorized to implement prescribed

13  drug cost containment initiatives, which shall include, but

14  not be limited to: limiting the number of brand name

15  prescribed drugs available to an adult Medicaid recipient on a

16  monthly basis; capitation of the prescribed drug benefit for

17  nursing home residents or alternative cost control measures;

18  negotiating and collecting additional supplemental rebates

19  from pharmaceutical manufacturers; and other initiatives to

20  promote the cost-effective purchasing of prescribed drugs, in

21  accordance with the requirements of federal law.

22         (c)  The Medicaid program shall maintain an open

23  formulary consistent with the provisions of this subsection.

24         (d)  The agency shall submit a report to the Governor,

25  the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President

26  of the Senate, by January 15 of each year, which includes, but

27  is not limited to, the progress that has been made to control

28  costs in Medicaid prescribed drug services.

29         Section 2.  Section 409.91203, Florida Statutes, is

30  created to read:

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

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  1         409.91203  Pharmacy and therapeutics committee.--There

  2  is created a pharmacy and therapeutics committee to advise the

  3  agency and provide guidance in the development and

  4  implementation of the Medicaid preferred prescribed drug

  5  designation program. The agency shall provide staff support to

  6  the committee in the performance of its duties.

  7         (1)  The committee shall consist of nine members as

  8  required by federal law, each appointed by the Governor or the

  9  Governor's designee for a 4-year term. Committee members may

10  be reappointed upon the expiration of their terms. The

11  committee shall consist of four physicians licensed in the

12  state, one of whom shall have experience in managing a

13  preferred prescribed drug designation program; four

14  pharmacists licensed in the state; and one consumer

15  representative. There shall be no liability on the part of,

16  and no cause of action of any nature shall arise against, any

17  member of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee for any

18  action taken by the committee in the performance of its powers

19  and duties as established in this section.

20         (2)  The duties of the committee include, but are not

21  limited to:

22         (a)  Recommending the initial prescribed drugs to

23  receive preferred prescribed drug designation under the

24  Medicaid preferred prescribed drug designation program. In

25  making its recommendations, the committee may use, but is not

26  limited to, the following criteria:

27         1.  Preferences among physicians and other health care

28  providers who have traditionally prescribed significant

29  numbers of prescribed drugs to Medicaid patients.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

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  1         2.  Preferences among pharmacists who have

  2  traditionally provided significant numbers of prescribed drugs

  3  to Medicaid patients.

  4         3.  The effectiveness of the prescribed drug.

  5         4.  The safety of the prescribed drug.

  6         5.  The potential for misuse of the prescribed drug.

  7         6.  The essential need for and value of the prescribed

  8  drug.

  9         7.  Comparisons with other prescribed drugs in the same

10  therapeutic class, with respect to the criteria listed in this

11  paragraph.

12         8.  Therapeutic advantages, if any, as indicated by

13  review of pharmaceutical manufacturer materials filed with the

14  United States Food and Drug Administration, review of other

15  pharmacological studies, review of peer-reviewed literature,

16  periodic surveys of Medicaid patients using the drug, surveys

17  of physicians and other prescribers who serve significant

18  numbers of Medicaid patients, and surveys of pharmacists who

19  serve significant numbers of Medicaid patients.

20         9.  The potential effects on other Medicaid program

21  spending.

22         10.  Existing or proposed discounts from pharmaceutical

23  manufacturers through a supplemental rebate agreement or other

24  verifiable cost-reduction proposal.

25         11.  The willingness of a pharmaceutical manufacturer

26  to participate in and finance Medicaid disease management

27  initiatives.

28         (b)  Reviewing and recommending, on an ongoing basis,

29  additional prescribed drugs to receive preferred prescribed

30  drug designation.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

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  1         (c)  Reviewing and recommending, on an ongoing basis,

  2  the removal of preferred prescribed drug designations.

  3         (d)  Reviewing and conducting special prescribed drug

  4  therapy evaluations to assess the adequacy of Medicaid

  5  preferred prescribed drug designations, using an appropriate

  6  methodology, including, but not limited to, outcome

  7  measurements before and after implementation of the preferred

  8  prescribed drug designation program in areas such as hospital

  9  utilization, physician office visits, emergency room visits,

10  patient and provider satisfaction, quality of life indicators,

11  per capita drug utilization and expenditures, total Medicaid

12  program costs, and indicators of adequate administrative

13  support.

14         (e)  Assisting the agency with the development of

15  clinical guidelines, particularly for prescribed drug

16  therapies.

17         (3)  Members of the committee shall serve without

18  compensation. However, the agency shall reimburse committee

19  members for per diem and travel expenses incurred in the

20  performance of committee duties, in accordance with s.

21  112.061.

22         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2049

    90-431-00






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Authorizes the Agency for Health Care Administration to
  4    implement a Medicaid preferred prescribed drug
      designation program and Medicaid prescribed drug cost
  5    containment initiatives. Provides for a formulary.
      Requires an annual report to the Governor and Legislature
  6    on progress in controlling costs for Medicaid prescribed
      drug services. Establishes a pharmacy and therapeutics
  7    committee to advise the agency regarding the Medicaid
      preferred prescribed drug designation program. Provides
  8    responsibility of the committee to recommend prescribed
      drugs to receive designation under the program, according
  9    to specified criteria, and to assist the agency in
      developing clinical guidelines, particularly for
10    prescribed drug therapies. Requires the agency to provide
      staff support to the committee and reimburse committee
11    members' expenses.

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