Overview

The Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) designs rules and steps to promote consistent treatment for individuals with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Under Phase IV of the TMAP project—Texas Implementation of Medication Algorithms (TIMA)—the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation began to roll out the rules for use by all of the public mental health agency's providers.

The project is based on the recognition that, in many cases, patients' health status was not improving, in part because patients would see different providers who would prescribe different medications and protocols. TMAP/TIMA requires physicians to follow specified treatment patterns and standardize their patients' charts so that other providers can understand why a treatment protocol was chosen and be more likely to follow it. Physicians also are providing patients with much more detailed information and education on the drugs they are taking, so they can be more informed partners in their own care. Approximately 200,000 patients are being served by TMAP, through 41 community centers.

Ultimately, all Texas providers who prescribe pharmaceuticals (including psychiatrists and nurse practitioners) will be trained in the TMAP system. An evaluation of 1,421 patients who were treated under the TIMA program found evidence of improved clinical outcomes for all three disorders addressed under TMAP. The program is being applied by 13 other states, including Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

For More Information Texas Medication Algorithm Project Guidelines: http://www.bhrm.org/guidelines/tmap.pdf Texas Implementation of Medication Algorithms Pamphlet: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mhprograms/timaptintro.pdf.