Pharmacy Question for the Week of August 17, 2020

Question:

What are the challenges of the Promotion of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program?

Answer:

According to the “Healthcare Payer Strategies to Reduce the Harms of Opioids” white paper, “Even when available, the use of MAT may present challenges. Payers may place limits on MAT dosages prescribed or other medication limits, require prior authorization to initiate treatment and provide insufficient coverage for concurrent counseling and step therapy. Fear of diversion and low patient utilization may also lead many providers to avoid prescribing MAT or prescribe it at insufficient dosages.”