Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Preferred Drug List

Registration for Public Testimony

Public testimony at the February 5,2009 Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee meeting will be limited to fifteen (15) presentations:  twelve (12) speakers from the drug industry and three (3) representing consumer interests.  To the extent that the full allotment for either group does not pre-register to speak, representatives from the other group will be selected in their place.  In the event speakers are selected and fail to appear at the meeting, their time will be forfeited, and that slot will remain unfilled.  We will start calling on speakers at approximately 9:20 a.m.  This part of the meeting will last approximately one and one-half hours.  Speakers will be called upon to give their presentations in the order that they register on-site the day of the meeting.  The time available for each presentation is up to five minutes.  Thirty seconds before the end of the presentation, speakers will receive a warning that time has almost expired. 

The deadline for registering to speak at the February 5, 2009 meeting is January 22, 2009.   Only one speaker per company, or organization may register to speak. In the case of subsidiaries of conglomerates, one speaker from each subsidiary may register to speak.  Speakers may share their time slots.  However, there may be only one time slot given to a company or subsidiary. 

In the event more speakers have registered than there are spaces available, speakers will be selected at random the day after the deadline.  A disinterested party in the presence of witnesses will draw the names.  All registrants will be notified within two business days of the results of drawing, whether or not they have been selected.  To register, potential speakers may submit their request to speak during the February 5, 2009 P&T Committee meeting using the form at http://www.providersynergies.com/services/medicaid/Maryland/form.asp?content=Testimony.  Applications may also be forwarded to Megan Shook at the Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Program via fax at 410-333-5398, or mail at Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Program, Department of Health and mental Hygiene, Room 408, 201 W. Preston St., Baltimore, MD  21201. Requests must include full name, title, phone number(s), address, e-mail address, the therapeutic class(es) and drug(s) they wish to cover, organization and place of business.  Should the organization wish to change their speaker, Ms Shook must be notified as soon as possible.  E-mail any questions about public testimony and changes to MarylandPDLQuestions@dhmh.state.md.us.  

Speakers are asked to provide two business cards to the registration attendant at the meeting and if handouts are necessary, give at least 22 copies of any handout material to the registration attendant.  Pharmacy Program staff will distribute the handouts to the P&T Committee members and staff prior to speakers taking the microphone.  Handouts are limited to no more than two standard 8-1/2 by 11 inch pages of “bulleted” points (or one page front and back) per five-minute time slot.  At the meeting, speakers are required to state their name, organization and city of business.  Audio-visual equipment will not be allowed because of the time constraint. 

Submission of Written Material to Committee

Written information may be submitted to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee prior to the February 5, 2009 meeting.  E-mail communication is preferred; however, it must be compatible with MS-Word^® or in Adobe^® Acrobat^® format.  The Pharmacy Program will forward e-mails received before January 30 to the members of the P&T Committee. Charts and graphs may be submitted in MS-Excel^® or Adobe^® Acrobat^®.  Attach your material to an e-mail to: MarylandPDLQuestions@dhmh.state.md.us.   Hard copies of written information may be mailed or delivered to Megan Shook, at Clinical Services Division, Medicaid Pharmacy Program, Room 408, Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, 201 W. Preston St., Baltimore, MD  21201.  If the information is contained on two pages or less, we will copy it and send it to the P&T Committee members.  If it is more than 2 pages, please enclose at least 13 copies packaged in individual envelopes with sufficient US postage attached.  The Pharmacy Program will affix labels to your envelopes and forward them to the P&T Committee members.  Materials received with insufficient postage will not be forwarded.  Binders and heavy material must be placed in individual padded envelopes.  To ensure sufficient time for review, non-electronic information must be received at DHMH at least two weeks prior to the meeting.