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Chief Medical Officer of SCAN Health Plan tells Senate Finance Committee need for better Medication Management for the Elderly

WASHINGTON, Mar 26, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Chief Medical Officer of SCAN Health Plan told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today that the healthcare community needs to do a better job of monitoring the medications prescribed to the frail elderly and that one of the best ways to achieve this is through the establishment of thoughtful care-coordination programs.

“The culture in the United States is to obtain prescriptions for whatever ails us, but that can often lead to over prescribing or seniors taking drugs that dangerously interact with each other,” said Timothy C. Schwab, M.D.

“What is needed are ongoing drug utilization reviews that monitor appropriateness of prescriptions and alert members and physicians of potential risks.”

Dr. Schwab made his remarks before the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health as part of a hearing on “Prescription Drug Abuse: How are Medicare and Medicaid Adapting to the Challenge?”

He said that it is not uncommon for seniors to be taking eight or more medications simultaneously, sometimes prescribed by different physicians. A number of these, he said, may be non-geriatric friendly and put individuals at risk for dizziness, falls and motor vehicle accidents.

To help address this challenge, Dr. Schwab told the committee that SCAN Health Plan has instituted a number of programs that have been widely acknowledged as best in class.

These include SCAN’s team of 60 case managers who assist members in understanding the purpose of their medication regimen, review medications on a regular basis, and help members better manage their medications.

SCAN also reviews pharmacy claims and notifies a member’s physician of duplications or senior-inappropriate medications.

In addition to its case managers, SCAN employs certified geriatric pharmacists who ensure that all drugs covered in its formulary are clinically effective for seniors.

For high-risk members, this clinical team also reviews all medication profiles on a regular basis and communicates directly with members and their prescribing physicians about any drug therapy issues that surface.

And, as an accredited provider of continuing medical education, SCAN routinely offers physicians online educational modules and tools focused specifically on proper medication for seniors.

As part of his testimony, Dr. Schwab also said that programs need to be put in place that identify “potential problem pharmacies” as well as prescribers and beneficiaries with “unusual or excessive utilization patterns.”

This would include the identification of beneficiaries who appear to be abusing their medications or participating in fraudulent activities as well as physicians whose prescribing patterns indicate fraud, waste or abuse.

“A smart combination of care coordination, utilization management, and a well-thought-out formulary structure is the best way to ensure safety as far as medication management for seniors is concerned,” said Dr. Schwab.

 “As the nation ages, this will become increasingly important if we are to make sure that seniors get the safe medications they need and only what they need.”

A leading advocate on senior health and lifestyle needs, Dr. Schwab was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging.

He has served as president of the California Society of Internal Medicine and has played an active role in several committees of the American Society of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians.

He previously served as an assistant clinical professor for the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

For 35 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of seniors and is now the country’s fourth largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. The company currently has nearly 130,000 members in California and Arizona. Further information may be obtained at scanhealthplan.com.

SOURCE: SCAN Health Plan