First-year Medicare Part D prescription drug benefits: medication access and continuity among dual eligible psychiatric patients.

Objective: This study provides national data on medication access and continuity problems experienced during the first year of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which was implemented on January 1, 2006, among a national sample of Medicare and Medicaid "dual eligible" psychiatric patients.

Method: Practice-based research methods were used to collect clinician-reported data across the full range of public and private psychiatric treatment settings. A random sample of psychiatrists was selected from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile.