Texas has moved into hurricane season as of June 1st. Texas is also a mecca of a mix of natural disasters such as fires, flash flooding, tornadoes, hail, and damaging… Read more
Meeting Summary. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) held a public hearing to update the public on the implementation of Peer Support Services as a Medicaid Benefit. House Bill… Read more
The Transition Legislative Oversight Committee met on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 10:00am to hear invited testimony only. A quorum was present. The Committee was established in 2015 by the… Read more
Welcome and opening remarks. The meeting was convened by Executive Commissioner Charles Smith on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The Executive Commissioner announced that this was his last meeting as the… Read more
Meeting Summary. The Select Committee met to consider testimony on the following interim charge: Monitor and evaluate the implementation of legislation passed by the 85th Legislature regarding the Prescription Monitoring Program. In addition, review the prescribing of addictive drugs by physicians and other health care providers within various geographic regions of this state. Determine the role of health care professionals in preventing overutilization and diversion of addictive prescriptions. Provide recommendations that will improve efforts to prevent overutilization and diversion of addictive prescriptions. Read more
Texas Insight’s Recent Reports HHSC: Behavioral Health Advisory Committee: The Committee met to receive updates on a number of issues including the Opioid Response Grant, Community Collaboratives, the results of S.B.… Read more
This posting summarizes policy solutions being offered to address the opioid crisis. The American Public Health Association recommends that policy strategies addressing the epidemic must affect both supply and demand of opioids that would be misused and/or abused. Policies are listed in the tables below (Part I), followed by systemic changes that may be helpful in reducing suffering and public expenditures associated with opioid misuse and addiction (Part II). Key stakeholder institutions have issued guidelines on the epidemic and these are briefly discussed in Part III.
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Meeting Summary. The Select Committee met to consider testimony on the following interim charge: Monitor and evaluate the implementation of legislation passed by the 85th Legislature regarding the Prescription Monitoring Program. In addition, review the prescribing of addictive drugs by physicians and other health care providers within various geographic regions of this state. Determine the role of health care professionals in preventing overutilization and diversion of addictive prescriptions. Provide recommendations that will improve efforts to prevent overutilization and diversion of addictive prescriptions. Read more
Meeting Summary. The Drug Utilization Review Board develops and submits recommendations for the preferred drug list, suggests clinical prior authorizations on outpatient prescription drugs, recommends education interventions for Medicaid providers, and reviews drug usage across Medicaid programs.
The DUR board is composed of 20 total members: 17 physicians and pharmacists who provide services across the entire population of Medicaid recipients and who represent different specialties, two representatives from Medicaid managed care organizations as nonvoting members, and a consumer advocate representing people enrolled in the Medicaid program.
Introduction
The meeting was called to order by the Chair, Robert Hogue, MD. The minutes from the meeting on January 26, 2018, were approved as written.
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Meeting Summary. The Behavioral Health Advisory Committee provides customer/consumer and stakeholder input by making recommendations regarding the allocation and adequacy of behavioral health services and programs within the state of Texas. The purpose of the committee is to provide customer/consumer and stakeholder input to the Health and Human Services system in the form of recommendations regarding the allocation and adequacy of behavioral health services and programs within the State of Texas. The BHAC considers and makes recommendations to the HHS Executive Commissioner consistent with the committee’s purpose.
Introduction
The meeting was opened by the Chair, Wayne Young. The minutes for the meetings on January 26, 2018, and April 20, 2018, were approved as written.
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“Texas Insight has been a valuable tool that we have utilized both during the Texas Legislative Session and during the Interim. Timeliness and accuracy are important and that describes the reporting system. We view it as a very important service to have.”