Changes to policy anger families

General practitioners must be pre-authorized to
prescribe psychiatric drugs under Medicaid.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. Ted Strickland’s changes to the state’s mental health policies — mandating pre-authorization for doctors who prescribe psychiatric drugs and delaying proposed changes in a program for autistic children — have angered the families of those with mental illnesses and their advocates.

The revised drug policy requires general practitioners to be pre-authorized before they write prescriptions for psychiatric drugs covered by Medicaid. State officials estimate that general doctors write about 30 percent to 40 percent of those prescriptions.

Psychiatrists in community mental health centers will continue to be exempt from the requirement and patients who are considered clinically “stable” on a particular drug may continue to take it without pre-approval, said Dennis Evans, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

“The goal was to make sure that the drugs are being prescribed in the most effective manner,” Evans said.

The General Assembly included a provision in the state budget that would have prevented pre-authorization requirements, but Strickland used his line-item veto to delete the language. Strickland argued that advance approval would save $20 million to $47 million annually.

The administration has also delayed a billing change that threatens to eliminate coverage of costly specialized treatment for autistic children under the state’s Medicaid program. The state will continue to pay for those services until July 1.

The change is necessary to comply with federal regulations, said Scarlet Bouder, spokeswoman for the Department of Job and Family Services. Also, county officials have complained that the services are too expensive, she said.

Officials want more time to meet with families of children with autism and determine how services can be continued, Bouder said. Parents and advocates worry that once treatment is lost, children will be forced to wait years before slots in other programs are available.

“All parties have acknowledged a desire for reasonable resolution that will allow children to receive services while ensuring the Medicaid system can serve as many children as possible,” she said.