Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
Executive Office of Health and Human Services 
Division of Medical Assistance 
600 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111


MassHealth 
Prescriber Bulletin 5 
December 2000 

TO: Physicians, Dental Providers, Outpatient Hospitals, Podiatrists, Community 
Health 
Centers, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners Participating in MassHealth 

FROM: Wendy E. Warring, Commissioner 

RE: Suspension of Prescriber Bulletin 2—PA for Sedative-Hypnotic Sleep
Medications


Prior Authorization No Longer Required for Certain Sleep Medications
 
The Division of Medical Assistance has suspended, until further 
notice, MassHealth Prescriber Bulletin 2 (dated March 
2000), which required prior authorization for all medication that is 
FDA-approved for treatment of insomnia.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects an estimated 60 million 
Americans a year, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 
While many patients with insomnia may be treated effectively 
without the use of drugs, some patients are more effectively 
treated with sedative, sleep-hypnotic medication. In those 
instances where sleep-hypnotic therapy is indicated, research 
findings show that many medications stop working after several 
weeks of continued use. Use of the medication, therefore, should 
be limited to a maximum of two to three weeks. 

List of Drugs

The following drugs, which were identified in Prescriber Bulletin 2 
as requiring prior authorization, no longer require it. 

Amobarbital/Secobarbital (Tuinal) 
Chloral Hydrate (Noctec) 
Estazolam (ProSom) 
Ethchlorvynol (Placidyl) 
Flurazepam (Dalmane) 
Pentobarbital (Nembutal) 
Quazepam (Doral) 
Secobarbital (Seconal) 
Temazepam (Restoril) 
Triazolam (Halcion) 
Zaleplon (Sonata) 
Zolpidem (Ambien 

Questions
If you have any questions about the information in this bulletin, 
please call the MassHealth Provider Services Department at 
(617) 628-4141 or 1-800-325-5231.