Connecticut
Medicaid Managed Care Council
Quality Assurance Subcommittee
Legislative Office Building Room 3000, Hartford CT 06106
(860) 240-0321 Info Line (860) 240-8329 FAX (860) 240-8307
www.cga.state.ct.us/ph/medicaid

Asthma work Group Meeting Summary

April 4, 2002

Chair: Paula Armbruster Co-Chair: Dottie Needham

MCO Asthma Local Pharmacy Data

Dr. Michelle Cloutier (CCMC) aggregated the MCO reports of asthma supplies in local pharmacies in New Haven and Waterbury. The purpose of the survey is to:

· Identify those pharmacies that carry four basic asthma supplies: spacers, nebulizers, nebulizer accessories, dust mite covers and provide delivery services.

· Determine the utility of this type of report to health providers and their patients and if useful, expand the report to other CT areas.

A preliminary review of the survey raised clarification questions:

· Identification of the functional variants of spacers. Request MCO to identify generic or brand names of spacers in order to identify the type of spacer.

· Identification of the supply of nebulizers and compressors versus nebulizer alone. Request the MCO to clarify this with their vendors.

· FirstChoice P-1 data needs to be included in the report (received 4/4).

· Add MCO staff phone contact to the final information grid.

Given the present data, without the added clarifications, health providers stated this is a useful tool for health providers in the two cities. The final tool, with the above requested clarifications, will be sent to the committee for review.

Multiple Prescriptions

The health plans outlined their process for authorization of `multiple prescriptions for several sites' at the January meeting. Mary Alice Lee organized this information into a grid that includes access to dust mite barriers. Additional information has been requested from two of the MCO's.

Once the information is complete, this tool and the vendor survey results will be disseminated to providers via:

· Individual MCO web site

· Medicaid Council Web site

· CHC web site and provider newsletter

· Health professional academies/organizations

The subcommittee will evaluate the effectiveness of this information for health providers in early fall.

The work group recommended that future asthma issues be included on the subcommittee agenda, with specific issues referred to the work group as needed.