“Physicians want the best for their patients, and this program has given them another tool to get the right drug to the right person at the right time. It is the practice that saves everyone time and healthcare dollars.”

—Nancy Nesser, PharmD, JD, pharmacy services director, Oklahoma Health Care Authority

Oklahoma

In August 2004, Oklahoma’s SoonerPsych Program (a BPM program) began to send educational material to prescribers. From September through December 2004, the average monthly spending for Medicaid behavioral health drugs remained constant at roughly $12 million.¹ From January through December 2005, the average monthly spending rate for behavioral health drugs was $12.2 million.¹ This rise in spending represents less than a 2 percent increase in the cost of behavioral health medications in Oklahoma during 2005, compared to a 14-18 percent annual growth rate most states experienced in the cost of behavioral health medications in 2005.¹

¹ [No Authors Listed]. National Pharmacy Initiative Helps States Improve Care for Medicaid Patients. Mental Health Weekly. 4 June 2007; 17: 1, 6-7.