Sioux City doctor appointed to Iowa Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Commission

Daniel Gillette, MD, SM, DFAPA, FACHE, Physician Leader for Behavioral Health of UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s has been appointed to the Iowa Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Commission (DUR). The commission consists of four physicians and four pharmacists who make recommendations about which medications are approved for use by Iowa Medicaid recipients and the appropriate circumstances.

Gillette’s background in psychiatry and experience in medicine and the insurance industry will be instrumental as Medicaid spends more money on medications for mental health conditions than any other class. He will serve a term of four years on the commission.

A federally mandated program, DUR oversees medications paid for by the Medicaid program. The commission also reviews overall patterns of drug utilization within Iowa Medicaid and makes recommendations on management of the 250 million dollars spent on medication by the Medicaid program each year. The DUR also conducts reviews of outlier cases such as high dose usage and use of multiple medications. 

Gillette received his medical degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska and a master’s degree in Healthcare Management from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. He is board-certified in general psychiatry, child-adolescent psychiatry and health care management.