The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990 require(s) state Medicaid programs to have a drug utilization review (DUR) program consisting of prospective DUR, retrospective DUR, and an educational program. The membership of the DUR Board shall include health care professionals who have recognized knowledge and expertise in one or more of the following: 1) The clinically appropriate prescribing of covered outpatient drugs; 2) The clinically appropriate dispensing and monitoring of covered outpatient drugs; 3) Drug use review, evaluation, and intervention; 4) Medical quality assurance. The goal of the DUR program is to ensure appropriate medication therapy, while permitting appropriate professional judgment to individualize medication therapy.
In Iowa, the DUR Board is referred to as the Iowa Medicaid DUR Commission. The Iowa DUR Commission is comprised of four Iowa Licensed physicians and four Iowa Licensed pharmacists who serve up to three, four-year terms, as well as a representative from the Department of Human Services (DHS) and a representative from one Managed Care Organization. The Commission meets on the first Wednesday four months of the year (August, November, February, and May) in Des Moines. Meetings are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Iowa DUR Commission is a recommending body to the DHS on drug therapy including proDUR, drug prior authorization, coverage of medications and administrative and billing procedures.
The DUR Commission is currently seeking a Pharmacist who serve Medicaid members to join the committee. Any Physician or Pharmacist interested in serving in this capacity should send a resume or curriculum vitae, as well as a letter indicating their interest to Pamela Smith at the email address shown below. Candidates that would like more information about the Commission or who would like to speak to a present Commissioner are encouraged to call.
Pamela Smith, R.Ph.
DUR Project Coordinator
Iowa Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Commission
1305 East Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 974-3131
info@iadur.org
Meetings are open to the public, It is the intention of Iowa Medicaid that those interested in speaking be allowed to do so in the public forum. To assure public input into the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) process, the agenda is posted on the website (www.iadur.org) prior to the meeting and public comment can be submitted in writing to info@iadur.org or presented at the meeting.
Individuals attending meetings of the DUR Commission shall have an opportunity to address the Commission. This opportunity will be granted once during the open portion of the meeting. In order to accommodate all interested parties, all speakers are requested to limit their comments to 5 minutes or less. If you represent a drug manufacturer as an employee, as a contractor, as a member of the manufacturer's Speaker Bureau, or by any other means, we expect you to cover your individual product or entire product line in that five-minute time frame. Speakers who represent multiple manufacturers will share their 5 minutes with the other manufacturer representative(s) whose product they are speaking on. Multiple representatives from a single organization will also be required to share the 5 minutes. Individuals providing testimony during the public comment portion of an in-person meeting must sign-up the morning of the meeting and complete a conflict of interest disclosure. Individuals providing testimony during the public comment portion of a virtual meeting must pre-register at least one week prior to the meeting date and complete a conflict of interest disclosure.
Data that is to be referenced during the Public Comment period(s) should be limited to published, peer reviewed literature only. “Data on file” and “articles submitted for review” are not considered published, peer reviewed literature and should not be referenced during public testimony.
All referenced data that is to be presented should be submitted to the DUR professional staff electronically to info@iadur.org AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE MEETING DATE for consideration and distribution to the Commission members. The deadline is 4:30 P.M. CT Wednesday, before the scheduled meeting date. Anything submitted to the DUR professional staff after this deadline will be distributed to the Commission members for the next scheduled DUR meeting.
Submit written comments to info@iadur.org at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting date. All public comment submissions to this email address become public documents. No response will be provided to the submitted public comment. Written comments are provided to the DUR Commission members as part of their meeting materials. Comments received after the deadline will be provided to the DUR Commission members at the next scheduled meeting. All written comments must include a completed conflict of interest disclosure.
Summary:
1. Public Comment Format
2. Conflict of Interest disclosure – read and complete the conflict of interest disclosure (click to view) and submit at least one week prior to the meeting date for persons speaking, presenting or providing written comment. Speakers who fail to submit or turn in their conflict of interest disclosure form late will have their request to speak denied or will not have their comments shared. No reminder will be provided.
3. Submit any data that will be referenced during public comment to info@iadur.org at least one week prior to the meeting date.
4. Limit speaking time to less than five minutes for individual product or entire product line.
To pre-register for verbal public comment for a virtual DUR meeting at least one week prior to the meeting date, email info@iadur.org and include:
To sign up for verbal public comment the morning of the DUR meeting (in-person meetings only):
New meeting information has been added.
A new DUR Digest has been added.