New Mexico Health Connections | my connection | Summer 2019

2 { MYCONNECTION } Between birth and 18 years old, children and teens should receive a variety of vaccines, including those for: • Chickenpox. • Diphtheria. • Hepatitis A and B. • Hib ( Haemophilus influenzae type b). • HPV (human papillomavirus). • Influenza (yearly flu shots). • Measles. • Meningococcal disease. • Mumps. • Pneumococcal disease. • Polio. • Rotavirus. • Rubella. • Tetanus. • Whooping cough. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention OUR KIDDOS It’s our job to protect them Learn more about recommended preventive health screenings and immunizations at mynmhc.org/ preventive-screenings.aspx . How to properly dispose of medications Do you have medications at home you no longer need? It’s important to dispose of medications properly to prevent unintentional use, overdose or illegal abuse. Here are a few ways: •   Your city government or law enforcement may have a drug disposal program. •   Many chain drug stores, such as CVS and Walgreens, offer in-store disposal kiosks. •   The Drug Enforcement Administration offers National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days twice each year, in April and October. Visit www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_ disposal/takeback/index.html to find the next date and location of a collection site near you. •   You can dispose of drugs safely at home. Mix oral drugs with used coffee grounds or kitty litter and place in a sealed plastic bag, then toss into your trash. Most of the time, you should not flush medications unless the package insert tells you to do so. More questions about how to safely dispose of unused medication? Visit www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ ucm101653.htm . OUR WEBSITE Your source for complete member information W e would like to remind you about our website, mynmhc.org . There are many helpful items to read on our website. You can view and/or download information about the following topics: • Information about our pharmacy proce- dures and coverage of drugs, including copayments; NMHC’s drug list along with restrictions and preferences; how to use our pharmacy procedures; an explanation of limits and quotas; how to receive coverage for non-formulary drugs and an explanation of how practitioners can provide informa- tion to support an exception; and NMHC’s processes for generic substitution, therapeu- tic interchange and step-therapy. • Information about how you may obtain information about network practitioners and the professional qualifications of practi- tioners, including specialty, medical school attended, residency completed and board certification status. • Information about benefits and services included in, and excluded from, coverage. • Information about copayments and other charges for which you are responsible. • Information about restrictions on benefits that apply to services obtained outside NMHC’s system or service area. • How you may obtain primary care services, including how to choose and access a pri- mary care practitioner. • How you may obtain specialty care and be- havioral health services and hospital services. • How you may obtain care after normal office hours. • How you may obtain emergency care, in- cluding NMHC’s policy on when to directly access emergency care or use 911 services. • How you may obtain care and coverage when you are out of NMHC’s service area. • How you may appeal a decision that ad- versely affects coverage, benefits or your relationship with NMHC. • A description of the availability of an indepen- dent external appeals process for utilization management decisions made by NMHC. • NMHC’s member rights and responsibilities statement. • How you may voice a complaint. • How you may submit a claim for covered services, if applicable. • How to contact staff if you have questions about how we manage care and services (UM) and the toll-free number to call to contact staff. • Information about NMHC’s Case Man- agement Program and how you or your caregiver may self-refer to the Program. • Information about NMHC’s Disease Man- agement Programs and how you or your caregiver may self-refer to the Programs. • Information about NMHC’s Quality Improvement Program including goals, processes and outcomes as related to care and service. • NMHC’s policy prohibiting financial incentives for utilization management decision-makers. • How NMHC evaluates new technology for inclusion as a covered benefit. • How to obtain language assistance to talk with us about how we manage care and services or to obtain information about ben- efits, access to services, and other issues. • The availability of TDD/TTY services. There is other information about NMHC and our services on the website that is useful to know. Our physician and hospital directories allow you to select a physician or hospital that best meets your needs. You can search for a physi- cian by specific characteristics, such as gender or language spoken. You can search for a hospi- tal by location and name. Our website also contains information and interesting tools to help you better understand what you can do to improve your health. For example, our health risk assessment helps you assess your current health and determine risks. It also allows you to track your progress in im- proving behaviors and lets you know when to obtain preventive services. Visit mynmhc.org/ staying-healthy.aspx to get started. If you would like more information about these items, please call Cus- tomer Service at 855-769-6642 . The most recent information about NMHC, our ser- vices and coverage of drugs is always available on our website. { M E M B E R B E N E F I T S }