How the Massachusetts Medicaid Pharmacy Program, which is managed by UMass Medical School, developed the Pediatric Behavioral Health Medication Initiative. The initiative was created in response to studies and reports that found pediatric behavioral health medication polypharmacy regimes had been increasing. Compared to the rest of the country, the prevalence was highest among the MassHealth pediatric population.
A prior authorization requirement, guidelines, case review and a prescriber outreach process were established as part of the initiative to ensure MassHealth pediatric members were being prescribed appropriate behavioral health medication.