The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) launched the We Treat Hep C Initiative on April 1, 2021 as a key strategy to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a health threat to Michiganders.

The We Treat Hep C Initiative aims to make treatment more accessible by removing barriers to prescribing. MDHHS has entered into an agreement with AbbVie, the pharmaceutical manufacturer of the HCV Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) MAVYRET®, to make treatment available to all Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries.

Starting April 1, Michigan Medicaid removed prior authorization requirements for the preferred HCV medication, MAVYRET and will be the only DAA identified as Preferred on the Michigan Preferred Drug List (PDL).

MAVYRET for Medicaid & Healthy Michigan Plan beneficiaries: 

• Prior authorization is not required. 
• Documentation of sobriety, prescriber specialist, and fibrosis score are no longer required. 
• Prescribers can order the entire course of MAVYRET with one script indicating an 8- or 12-week supply. Specialty or retail pharmacies are authorized to dispense up to 102 days of therapy at a single time but will default to dispensing in 4-week increments unless otherwise indicated.

Non-preferred DAAs:

• Completion of prior authorization is required along with documentation explaining why the preferred agent MAVYRET cannot be used. To access the standard prior authorization form, click here. 
• Documentation of sobriety, prescriber specialist, and fibrosis score are no longer required. 

The success of the We Treat Hep C Initiative will be directly tied to the state’s clinical community treating patients impacted by HCV. With the removal of criteria surrounding who can prescribe HCV medication, we need prescribers (MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs) to join MDHHS’ HCV elimination efforts.

MDHHS has partnered with the following to develop trainings and resources with the goal of supporting providers to confidently treat and manage their patients living with HCV:

1. Henry Ford Health System Hepatitis C Clinical Consult Program
   A free consultation line is available Monday through Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm for all health care professionals with questions about HCV disease management and treatment. (313) 575-0332
   
   
2. Wayne State University's Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center
   Free HCV case-based office hours available for all health care professionals. To request an appointment with a physician specialized in HCV, please call(313) 962-2000. A free consultation line is available for urgent questions, including after hours and on the weekends. (313) 408-3483
   
   
3. Michigan Opioid Collaborative HCV Virtual Case Conferencing
   Complimentary biweekly education and case consultation on HCV to support primary care and community providers with diagnosis, treatment planning, and medication management of people living with HCV. To learn more about this service, click here. 

Providers with prescriptive authority are the key to this cure. To be notified of new training opportunities and events, please send a request to MDHHS- Hepatitis@Michigan.gov to be added to the listserv.

For more information, visit the We Treat Hep C webpage.