1-1  By:  Zaffirini, Moncrief                              S.C.R. No. 56
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed February 16, 1995; February 16, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human
    1-4  Services; March 16, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
    1-5  Yeas 9, Nays 0; March 16, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                     SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-7        WHEREAS,  In its report to the 74th Texas Legislature, the
    1-8  Senate Health and Human Services Committee concluded that
    1-9  significant benefits would accrue if a Medicaid managed care
   1-10  program were established statewide, and the committee recommended
   1-11  further that the current Vendor Drug Program, with additional cost
   1-12  containment measures, be retained in any managed care system; and
   1-13        WHEREAS, The Vendor Drug Program at the Texas Department of
   1-14  Health currently processes claims for Medicaid prescription drugs
   1-15  directly on a fee-for-service basis, and recent evaluations have
   1-16  concluded that the program has done a very good job in implementing
   1-17  a variety of prescription drug benefit management techniques; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, The program is a known process that is compatible
   1-19  with managed care, and retaining the program will allow the state
   1-20  to build on existing successes, keep its rebates, and ensure a
   1-21  consistent pharmacy benefit policy for all Medicaid clients; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, Limited cost containment measures were additionally
   1-23  recommended by the committee to make the program even more
   1-24  efficient; these measures included computer-based rebate
   1-25  monitoring, which will allow the program to monitor rebate billing
   1-26  on-line, and prospective drug utilization, which will allow a
   1-27  dispensing pharmacist to be warned of other medications that the
   1-28  patient is taking that may cause harmful interactions; now,
   1-29  therefore, be it
   1-30        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   1-31  hereby direct the State Medicaid Office, in implementing managed
   1-32  care, to continue to administer the prescription drug benefit under
   1-33  the state Vendor Drug Program; and, be it further
   1-34        RESOLVED, That the State Medicaid Office accelerate the
   1-35  implementation of computer-based rebate monitoring and prospective
   1-36  drug utilization review; and, be it further
   1-37        RESOLVED, That savings realized from this directive be
   1-38  committed to raising or eliminating the three-prescription limit
   1-39  and reducing costs in other Medicaid line items; and, be it further
   1-40        RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
   1-41  copy of this resolution to the State Medicaid Office.
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