CO SB019

Establishes Article 70 in Colorado law requiring the Department of Human Services and Department of Corrections to develop and implement a medication formulary for individuals with behavioral or mental health disorders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems by December 1, 2017.

Mandates that the Department of Corrections, counties, Division of Youth Corrections, community mental health centers, and other providers share patient-specific mental health and treatment information to ensure medication consistency, subject to HIPAA confidentiality requirements.

Requires the Office of Behavioral Health to conduct biennial reviews of the medication formulary starting September 1, 2018, and ensure compliance with the Medicaid formulary used by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

Authorizes and encourages providers to use cooperative purchasing for medication formulary drugs, including external procurement activities that aggregate purchasing volume to negotiate discounts with manufacturers and vendors.

Directs the Department of Human Services and Department of Corrections to report progress on medication formulary implementation and cooperative purchasing annually starting January 2019 as part of SMART Government Act hearings to the Joint Health and Human Services Committee and Joint Judiciary Committee.