No abstract

When risperidone, olanzapine, and quetiapine were introduced, concerns were raised regarding the extent to which drug benefit policies might constrain their use. A national survey of eligible Medicaid programs (N = 47; 100%) and Veterans Health Administration facilities (N = 141; 94%) in 1998 found that within Medicaid, open formularies were common, preauthorization requirements were rare, and few barriers existed, whereas VHA facilities reported relatively more constraints in terms of formulary restrictions and preauthorization requirements. Although drug benefit policies have the potential to exert a major influence over prescribing practices, it is unlikely that these policies significantly restricted access to these antipsychotics.

No abstract

No abstract

A survey was conducted among college students to determine their assessment of the potential of the pharmacist as a family planning counselor. Pharmacists were seen as an appropriate source of contraceptive information for many contraceptive methods, but few respondents had actually consulted a pharmacist. Pharmacists were viewed as competent to provide contraceptive information by a slight majority of the respondents, but only half indicated they would use the pharmacist as a source of this kind of information.