On August 31, 2021, the Alliance for Mental Health Care Access (“AMHCA”) conducted its first roundtable meeting. AMHCA is a new working group that is expanding on the work of the Alliance for Depression Care Access (“ADCA”). Co-led by Aimed Alliance and the Alliance for Patient Access (“AfPA”), AMHCA works to prevent the non-medical switching of stable patients with mental health conditions. The first roundtable meeting discussed how non-medical switching can be dangerous for patients with mental health disorders and can result in increased risks of non-adherence, hospitalization or re-hospitalization, reduced effectiveness of subsequent treatments, and increased risk of suicide. Aimed Alliance counsel also provided an overview of current laws that exist to protect patients from non-medical switching. Additionally, the roundtable included a discussion from a practitioner’s perspective on non-medical switching and a review of previous policy activities conducted by the alliance. The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion in which participants noted how non-medical switching has impacted both patients and caregivers in the mental health community. The executive summary of the meeting can be read here. Please contact us at policy@aimedalliance.org if you are interested in joining our working group.
Last Updated on September 27, 2021 by Aimed Alliance
