Posted on Apr 28, 2015
OSC: VA hospital switched out antipsychotic drugs to save money
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The Office of Special Counsel confirmed whistleblower claims April 22 that a Veterans Affairs Department medical center in West Virginia substituted mental health medication with less expensive drugs to cut costs.
The OSC said in a letter (pdf) to President Obama that the VA clinic in Beckley, W.Va., put a "blanket restriction" on aripiprazole and ziprasidone, both antipsychotic drugs, to help meet its goals to cut costs for fiscal 2013.
Veteran's Health Administration regulations explicitly say that individual VA medical centers cannot remove certain drugs from a nationwide list of prescriptions that should be available to all veterans.
The VHA handbook also states that medical centers can't restrict drugs based on economics and can't prevent patients with legitimate medical needs from receiving specific medication.
Read the rest:
http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/osc-va-hospital-switched-out-antipsychotic-drugs-save-money/2015-04-28
The OSC said in a letter (pdf) to President Obama that the VA clinic in Beckley, W.Va., put a "blanket restriction" on aripiprazole and ziprasidone, both antipsychotic drugs, to help meet its goals to cut costs for fiscal 2013.
Veteran's Health Administration regulations explicitly say that individual VA medical centers cannot remove certain drugs from a nationwide list of prescriptions that should be available to all veterans.
The VHA handbook also states that medical centers can't restrict drugs based on economics and can't prevent patients with legitimate medical needs from receiving specific medication.
Read the rest:
http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/osc-va-hospital-switched-out-antipsychotic-drugs-save-money/2015-04-28
Posted in these groups: West Virginia ANG
Medicine
Medicine
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 2
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