New Mexico Health Connections | my connection | Spring 2015

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Spring 2015
MY CONNECTION is published as a health and wellness service for the members of
NEW MEXICO HEALTH CONNECTIONS. Information comes from a wide range of medical experts.
If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health,
please contact your primary care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations.
CUN31129 | Copyright © 2015 Coffey Communications ID0223-0215
Find us online: Contact us:
Customer Service: 855-7MY-NMHC (855-769-6642)
info@mynmhc.org
Michelle McRuiz, editor
michelle.mcruiz@mynmhc.org
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A compounding pharmacy creates
custom-made drugs, also called
compounded drugs, to treat
individual patients’ needs. Regular
pharmacies do not fill prescriptions
for compounded drugs. If your
doctor writes you a prescription for a
compounded drug, you must fill it at a
compounding pharmacy.
In April 2015, we are starting a
program to credential compounding
pharmacies. This program is called
the Safe and Effective Compound Use
Reassurance Effort (SECURE). We will
use SECURE to verify that all network
compounding pharmacies meet
certain quality and safety standards
for compounded drugs. We will post
a list of credentialed compounding
pharmacies on our website later this
year. If a compounding pharmacy is
not on the list, it will be considered
out-of-network.
B ehavioral health
conditions include
depression, anxiety,
bipolar disorder and
post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Our online screening
tool, the M3 Clinician, can as-
sess how likely you are to have
any of these conditions.
You can complete the
screening in under 10 minutes.
After you nish, you will receive an overall risk
score. You can print the score or email it to
yourself. If you are at high risk of developing a
known behavioral health issue, the M3 Clini-
cian will encourage you to talk to your primary
care or behavioral health provider. You may take
the screening as often as you like.
To access the M3 Clinician, log in to
the member portal. Go to our website,
. Click on
“Member & Provider Login” at
the top-right of the page. You
will need to register and
activate your personal NMHC
account, if you haven’t already
done so. After logging in, scroll
down to the “My Health
Tools/Resources” section of the
home page and click on the
“M3 Clinician” link.
is service is available to members 18 years
and older. By completing the screening, you
give NMHC your consent to use your health
information. Only NMHC employees in the
medical management division, including care
managers, have access to your results. Care
managers can use your results to help you nd
resources for speci c conditions or healthcare
needs that they identify.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
10-minute screening:
Are you at risk?
Compounding
pharmacies
COLONOSCOPY
Don’t skip this test
not, get retested in ve years.
People at higher risk, including people with
ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease or a strong
family history of colon cancer, should start
earlier. Talk with your doctor about your indi-
vidual screening plan.
Q How do I prepare?
A e best results come when the bowel is
clean. For many, that means a day or two on
a clear liquid diet and a round of strong laxatives
the night before the test. You may also need to
take an enema. is prep work is often consid-
ered the worst part of having a colonoscopy.
Q How’s it done?
A e patient is given sedatives and pain medi-
cine. e doctor then inserts a long, exible
tube into the colon. e tube is equipped with
a tiny light and camera. Your doctor examines
images sent from inside the colon on a monitor.
Any polyps can be removed with delicate tools
inserted through the tube.
Most people sleep through the 30- to
60-minute test.
It’s a test many people dread, but it has the
potential to save lives. We’re talking about
a colonoscopy, which is used to screen for
colorectal cancer, one of the top causes of
cancer deaths in the U.S.
If you’ve been avoiding this test, here are
some questions and answers about it that may
convince you to give it a try.
Q Why should I get one?
AColonoscopy can nd cancer—or the pol-
yps (abnormal growths) that may become
cancer—early, when treatment is often most
successful.
It also gives your doctor immediate access
to polyps, so they can be removed right away.
at’s not true with other colon cancer screen-
ing methods, which all require a follow-up
colonoscopy if polyps or other problems are
found.
Q When and how often should I be tested?
A Screening for people at average risk of
colorectal cancer starts at age 50. If the rst
test is clear, get a follow-up one in 10 years. If
Q What happens next?
A You’ll be monitored while the anesthesia
wears o . You won’t be allowed to drive
home, so arrange transportation beforehand.
Some test results will be available right away.
Others may take a few days.
Sources: American Cancer Society; National Cancer Institute
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