#BREAKINGNEWS: Epilepsy Services of New Jersey applauds The NJ Assembly Health & Senior Services and Assemblyman Herb Conaway for the Introduction of A4815 which calls for the establishment of certain guidelines for health insurance carriers concerning step therapy protocols.
Step therapy, or fail first, is a process that requires individuals who have been prescribed certain medications to try and fail one or more medications selected by the insurer before receiving the originally prescribed drug – such processes can be devastating when treating seizures. Without appropriate guidelines, step therapy restricts access to physician-directed care and prevents individuals from immediately starting the treatment their practitioners know is best. When medications are switched or when access to medication is delayed, people with epilepsy are at an increased risk of developing breakthrough seizures and related complications, all of which has a lifetime impact on seizure control. Practitioners need to have the ability to treat their patients with epilepsy effectively and protocols in NJ must preserve the health care provider’s right to make treatment decisions that are in the best interest of the patient.
As the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to further impact access to care, ESNJ urges anyone who is currently experiencing or has experienced challenges with accessing their medications to contact info@epilepsynj.org or visit www.epilepsyservicesnj.org for more information.