A new program has reduced the cost of treating the mentally ill, while improving treatment. Medical Director Joseph Parks with the Mental Health Department says the program provides information to doctors about the correct prescriptions for patients suffering a wide-range of mental illnesses. Parks says the state identified a small number of doctors who weren’t following drug guidelines. It sent those doctors information that when used dropped the number of hospital admissions for their patients by 43-percent, decreased the number of days in the hospital for those admitted and dramatically decreased costs. The program has saved the state Medicaid program nearly $8-Million.
