A critical component in improving the use of psychotropic medications among children in foster care is educating and engaging providers and other key stakeholders. During this session, speakers from Ohio and Texas highlighted their states’ efforts to engage providers, case workers, families, and youth in this work.

Representatives from Texas’ child welfare agency and STAR Health, the managed care organization serving its foster care population, discussed the state’s Psychotropic Medication Utilization Parameters for Foster Children and the strong stakeholder involvement that led to their development. The speakers shared information on: (1) the state’s collaborative approach, (2) how the child welfare agency and managed care organization work together to identify outlier prescribing patterns, and (3) how these agencies work with outlier providers to ensure the appropriate use of psychotropic medications.

Speakers from the Ohio Department of Medicaid introduced the state’s Minds Matter initiative, a strong public and private partnership comprised of health care leaders, medical professionals, and other key stakeholders working together to evaluate and improve prescribing of psychotropic medications to Medicaid recipients. The speakers discussed: (1) the status of the initiative at the halfway mark, (2) preliminary outcomes for the three pilot communities, and (3) next steps in the initiative to broaden its reach throughout Ohio.

Presenters

  • Mary S. Applegate, MD, FAAP, FACP, Medical Director, Ohio Department of Medicaid
  • Mina Chang, PhD, Chief of Health Research and Program Development, Ohio Department of Medicaid
  • Cheryl Fisher, MEd, LPC, Senior Director of Foster Care Operations, Cenpatico
  • Kathy Teutsch, RN, LMSW-MSSW, Division Administrator for Medical Services, Texas Department of Family Protective Services