Drug Formulary Committee

The Drug Formulary Committee (DFC) is charged with reviewing and recommending which drugs require authorization. The DFC also reviews drugs for which coverage is optional under federal and state law for possible inclusion in the Medicaid fee-for-service formulary. The DFC is composed of four physicians, at least three pharmacists, a consumer representative and knowledgeable health care professionals.

DFC meetings are open to the public. Public comments are taken for an additional 15 days after the committee recommends requiring prior authorization for a drug. The Department of Human Services (DHS) provides the DFC with information regarding the impact that placing a drug on authorization will have on the quality and cost of patient care.

Appointing authority: Commissioner of Human Services
Compensation: $100 per member per meeting plus mileage
(Minnesota Statutes 256B.0625, subd. 13)

Meeting materials
Agenda

March 28, 2019, public meeting
Elmer Andersen Building, Room 2370
540 Cedar St.
St. Paul, MN 55101

Member dinner: 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Public meeting: 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
- Public forum: 5:30 up to 6:30 p.m.
- Report of the chair
- Approval of the minutes
- DHS housekeeping
  - Introduction of new members
  - Ethics training
- Old business
- New business
  - New Specialty Drugs for Continued PA
    - Epidiolex (Nonpreferred)
  - Preferred Drug List
    - Review of Drug Classes
    - https://mn.gov/dhs/assets/preferred-drug-list-fee-for-service_tcm1053-292127.pdf
- Adjourn
Past meetings

2019
- February 5, 2019 minutes (PDF)
2018
2017
2016
2015
- Sept. 22, 2015 minutes (PDF)
- March 11, 2015 minutes (PDF)
2014
Public participation and comment
Timeline
- Each meeting will include up to one hour as a public forum. All public comments will be heard during the public forum hour. The public forum will be scheduled first. The remainder of the meeting will include committee member discussion of agenda items.
- Committee members will be allowed 30 minutes for dinner before the public forum starts.
Agendas
- Agendas are posted on this page.
- The chairperson of the committee may make adjustments to the agenda timeline during the meeting.
- Additions or deletions to the agenda may take place up to one week before the meeting.
Public forum
- People who will give public comment must indicate their intent to comment in advance of the meeting by signing their name to the sheet posted outside the door of the meeting room 30 minutes prior to the meeting. The list is final once the meeting starts.
- Public comments are limited to the topics on the agenda.
- People to give public comment are encouraged to provide comments that are based on and supported by published evidence.
- Anyone, including representatives of pharmaceutical manufacturers, who wants to give public comment is generally allowed no more than three minutes of public forum time. If more than 20 people wish to provide public comment during the one-hour public forum, time for each will be reduced to allow all who wish to give public comment time before the committee.
- Every person to give public comment must fill out and sign a DHS disclosure statement and must read it aloud to the committee before offering their public comment.
- People to give public comment are not allowed more than one appearance before the committee, unless there is a correction to be made to subsequent public comment.
- PowerPoint presentations are discouraged. No viewing screens will be available.
- If a member of the public wishes to provide material for DFC member distribution, the material must be left with the committee and not returned to the person distributing it.
- There is a 15-day period after each DFC meeting in which public comments are accepted by DHS.
To request an accommodation: To request a reasonable accommodation to make it possible for you to attend any of the meetings, please send a request as soon as possible to dave.hoang@state.mn.us
Committee members
Pharmacists
- Margaret Artz, R.Ph., Ph.D. – Clinical Analytics Consultant
- Monica Brands, RPh - Cub Pharmacy
- Al Heaton, Pharm.D. - PreferredOne
- Stacey Ness, Pharm.D. - Managed Health Care Associates
- Ramona Powell, Pharm.D. - Prime Therapeutics
- Kelly Ruby, Pharm. D. - North Point Health and Wellness Center
Licensed Healthcare Professionals
- Mary Benbenek, Ph.D., APRN - University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Physicians
- Kyle Lehenbauer, M.D. – Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Kathryn Lombardo, M.D. - Olmsted Medical Center
- James R. Phillips, MD - Hennepin County Medical Center
- Michael R Sprehe, M.D., MPH, FACP, FAAP - Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Consumer representative
- Stuart T. Williams
DHS non-voting members
- Jeffrey S. Schiff, M.D., M.B.A. - Medical Director, Minnesota Health Care Programs
- Dave Hoang, PharmD, MBA – DFC staff
Conflict of interest form
Contact us