Contact:
Patrick Cody
(703) 838-7528
RESTRICTIVE FORMULARIES FAIL ECONOMIC AND MORAL TESTS
New NMHA Position Statement Outlines a Sound Approach
(Alexandria, VA, April 22, 1998) "Formularies that restrict access to new psychotropic medications increase both treatment costs and the suffering of people with mental illnesses," said Michael Faenza, President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association. "They fail on economic and moral grounds."
Formularies, lists of medications pre-approved for doctors' prescriptions, are intended to lower a health plan's bottom line. But they often increase healthcare costs as individuals return to their doctor for reasons like intolerable side effects, insufficient symptom relief and even hospitalization. Although new medications typically represent treatment advances, many restrictive formularies require people with mental illnesses to "fail first" on an older, cheaper medication before being allowed access to a newer one.
"Fail first practices prolong the suffering associated with mental illness. We would not tolerate fail first treatment plans for diabetes or cancer, and we should not tolerate them because an individual has a mental illness like depression or schizophrenia," Faenza said. "Particularly for people with severe mental illnesses, those most likely to require medication, improper treatment and delayed recovery predict a worse future outcome."
In response, NMHA has developed a new position statement on drug formularies stating:
-- Formularies should not have "fail first" policies
-- Authorization of new medications should be timely
-- NMHA opposes restrictive formularies
Medications comprise about 3 percent of the cost of mental illnesses but are responsible for more than half of all positive treatment outcomes, Faenza said. "Attempting to curb mental health costs by limiting access to medications is penny-wise, pound-foolish and inhumane."
For a copy of NMHA's statement on formularies or to arrange interviews, call (703) 838-7528.
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