May 4, 2007
Joel Farley, PhD, an assistant professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, has received a two-year, $130,000 grant from Pfizer Inc. for his research on the effect of Medicaid prescription restrictions on patients with mental illnesses.
Farley, who is in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, received the 2007 Scholars Grant in Health Policy. The supporting sponsor on the grant is Susan Blalock, PhD, Farley’s mentor and an associate professor in the division.
The grant is part of Pfizer’s Medical & Academic Partnerships program, which is intended to support the career development of junior faculty. Farley will use his grant to fund a study examining different prescription managed-care policies used by Medicaid programs to contain prescription costs.
“Although these policies are likely to result in a reduction in medication expenditures, they may potentially cause a number of unintended consequences among patients with severe mental illnesses,” says Farley, who is hoping to get data to support the study in the next several months.
“This includes potential nonadherence or discontinuation of medications, which could result in greater utilization of inpatient, emergency department, and long-term-care services. Our study will examine both the potential for savings as well as the propensity for unintended consequences from these policies.”
Farley joined the School’s faculty in 2006 after completing his doctorate in social, administrative, and clinical pharmacy at the University of Minnesota. He got his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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