NOTICE: Pharmacy Reform Stakeholder Meeting Will Be Rescheduled Because of Storm

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will reschedule a public stakeholder meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 29, in light of weather threats from Tropical Storm Isaac.

Last week, the department released its final pharmacy reform concept and announced the meeting to present plans and answer questions about the modernization of Louisiana's Medicaid pharmacy program. Because most of the State is under hurricane watch or warning at this time, and Isaac is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast Wednesday, DHH will hold this meeting at another time when more stakeholders will be able to attend. DHH will hold this meeting as soon as possible, and will make information about the rescheduled meeting broadly available. At this meeting, DHH Medicaid program leadership will give an overview of the planned transition of pharmacy into Bayou Health and answer questions about the final reform components.

In June, Secretary Greenstein and DHH Medicaid leadership released an initial concept paper outlining their plan to include pharmacy as a benefit of the BAYOU HEALTH prepaid plans, and addressing aspects of the current Medicaid Pharmacy Benefits Program they wish to transform for recipients in the shared savings plans and those recipients remaining in legacy Medicaid. This paper was posted for public comment and feedback. Additionally, DHH sought public input through seven regional forums in June, four of which took place after business hours so pharmacists and others could attend after work. DHH has taken that feedback and made several significant changes to the pharmacy reform plans, which are reviewed in the final pharmacy reform concept.

DHH has added a "Pharmacy" section to www.MakingMedicaidBetter.com, which will continue to be updated frequently during this process. The public is advised to check here often to see the latest details. Visitors to the site also can review information about Bayou Health, subscribe to DHH's newsletter for frequent email updates and submit questions or comments electronically. People who have comments about the pharmacy reform they wish to submit prior to the public meeting may do so by email to bayouhealth@la.gov.