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Candon M, Shen S, Rothbard A, Reed A, Everett M, Demp N, Weingartner M, Fadeyibi O. Incorporating clinician insight and care plans into an audit and feedback initiative for antipsychotic prescribing to Medicaid-enrolled youth in Philadelphia. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:574. [PMID: 38702737 PMCID: PMC11067128 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-11029-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Audit and feedback (A/F), which include initiatives like report cards, have an inconsistent impact on clinicians' prescribing behavior. This may be attributable to their focus on aggregate prescribing measures, a one-size-fits-all approach, and the fact that A/F initiatives rarely engage with the clinicians they target. METHODS In this study, we describe the development and delivery of a report card that summarized antipsychotic prescribing to publicly-insured youth in Philadelphia, which was introduced by a Medicaid managed care organization in 2020. In addition to measuring aggregate prescribing behavior, the report card included different elements of care plans, including whether youth were receiving polypharmacy, proper medication management, and the concurrent use of behavioral health outpatient services. The A/F initiative elicited feedback from clinicians, which we refer to as an "audit and feedback loop." We also evaluate the impact of the report card by comparing pre-post differences in prescribing measures for clinicians who received the report card with a group of clinicians who did not receive the report card. RESULTS Report cards indicated that many youth who were prescribed antipsychotics were not receiving proper medication management or using behavioral health outpatient services alongside the antipsychotic prescription, but that polypharmacy was rare. In their feedback, clinicians who received report cards cited several challenges related to antipsychotic prescribing, such as the logistical difficulties of entering lab orders and family members' hesitancy to change care plans. The impact of the report card was mixed: there was a modest reduction in the share of youth receiving polypharmacy following the receipt of the report card, while other measures did not change. However, we documented a large reduction in the number of youth with one or more antipsychotic prescription fill among clinicians who received a report card. CONCLUSIONS A/F initiatives are a common approach to improving the quality of care, and often target specific practices such as antipsychotic prescribing. Report cards are a low-cost and feasible intervention but there is room for quality improvement, such as adding measures that track medication management or eliciting feedback from clinicians who receive report cards. To ensure that the benefits of antipsychotic prescribing outweigh its risks, it is important to promote quality and safety of antipsychotic prescribing within a broader care plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly Candon
- Penn Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Siyuan Shen
- Penn Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Aileen Rothbard
- Penn Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Abigail Reed
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mia Everett
- Community Behavioral Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neal Demp
- Community Behavioral Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Bushnell G, Lloyd J, Olfson M, Cook S, Das H, Crystal S. Antipsychotic Medication Use In Medicaid-Insured Children Decreased Substantially Between 2008 And 2016. Health Aff (Millwood) 2023; 42:973-980. [PMID: 37406239 PMCID: PMC10845053 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
After the rapid growth of pediatric antipsychotic prescribing in the early 2000s, especially in the Medicaid population, concerns regarding the safety and appropriateness of such prescribing increased. Many states implemented policy and educational initiatives aimed at safer and more judicious antipsychotic use. Antipsychotic use leveled off in the late 2000s, but there have been no recent national estimates of trends in antipsychotic use in children enrolled in Medicaid, and it is unclear how use varied by race and ethnicity. This study observed a sizable decline in antipsychotic use among children ages 2-17 between 2008 and 2016. Although the magnitude of change varied, declines were observed across foster care status, age, sex, and racial and ethnic groups studied. The proportion of children with an antipsychotic prescription who received any diagnosis associated with a pediatric indication that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration increased from 38 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in 2016, which may indicate a trend toward more judicious prescribing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Bushnell
- Greta Bushnell , Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | | | - Mark Olfson
- Mark Olfson, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York
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Amill-Rosario A, Lee H, Zhang C, dosReis S. Psychotropic Prescriptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Children and Adolescents Receiving Mental Health Services. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2022; 32:408-414. [PMID: 36067121 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2022.0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Increased mental health problems among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted psychotropic medication use. This study describes trends in monthly psychotropic medications before and early in the COVID-19 pandemic among 2- to 17-year-old children and adolescents with mental health disorders. Methods: A cross-sectional study design using the 2019-2020 IQVIA™ prescription and medical commercial claims data to estimate the proportion of children and adolescents with any psychotropic prescription in the month out of all with any mental health-related medical or prescription services in the month and the year-over-year percent change. We assessed monthly proportions of youth who filled a psychotropic prescription overall and by psychotropic class, stratified by age and gender. Results: Of the 8,896,713 children and adolescents in the sample, 24.7% received psychotropic medication during the study period. The proportion of the cohort prescribed a psychotropic medication in a given month averaged 27%-28% from January 2019 to February 2020, peaked at 36.9% in April 2020, and gradually declined to 28.7% in September 2020. The largest year-over-year percent change was in April for antipsychotic (41.9%) and antidepressant (37.9%) medication, which remained higher in September 2020 compared to September 2019, particularly among ages 6 years or older and females. Conclusion: The proportion of youth with a psychotropic prescription increased at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, later returning to prepandemic levels. However, antipsychotics and antidepressants remained higher than prepandemic, highlighting the need to further understand the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on children and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Amill-Rosario
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, PAVE Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Haeyoung Lee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, PAVE Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chengchen Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, PAVE Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Susan dosReis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, PAVE Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Bushnell GA, Crystal S, Olfson M. Trends in Antipsychotic Medication Use in Young Privately Insured Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021; 60:877-886. [PMID: 33091567 PMCID: PMC8055725 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2020.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate trends of annual antipsychotic medication use by privately insured young children (aged 2-7 years) in the United States, and to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics of these children. METHOD The study population included young children from a nationwide commercial claims database (2007-2017). We estimated annual antipsychotic use by age and sex, defined as the number of children dispensed an antipsychotic per year divided by the number enrolled. We described clinical diagnoses and mental health service use in those with prescription antipsychotic use in 2009 and 2017. RESULTS Annual antipsychotic use in young children was 0.27% in 2007, peaked at 0.29% in 2009, and statistically significantly declined to 0.17% by 2017 (linear trend: -0.017% per year, 95% CI: -0.018 to -0.016). Antipsychotic use was higher in boys than in girls. A greater proportion of antipsychotic users received a mental disorder diagnosis in 2017 (89%) than in 2009 (86%, p < .01). The most common clinical diagnoses in antipsychotic users, under a hierarchical classification, were pervasive developmental disorder (2009 = 27%, 2017 = 38%, p < .01), conduct or disruptive behavior disorder (2009 = 15%, 2017 = 21%, p < .01), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2009 = 24%, 2017 = 18%, p < .01). Among 2017 antipsychotic users, 32% had 4+ psychotherapy claims, 43% had a psychiatrist visit, and the majority used another psychotropic medication, most commonly a stimulant (boys = 57%, girls = 50%). CONCLUSION In privately insured young children, antipsychotic use declined from 2009 to 2017, with shifts toward indications with some supporting evidence. Nevertheless, a majority of use remains off label and for conditions lacking effectiveness and safety data. Improving antipsychotic prescribing in young children remains a challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta A Bushnell
- Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, and the Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
| | - Stephen Crystal
- Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - Mark Olfson
- Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York
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Chavez LJ, Kelleher KJ, Beck A, Clarke GN, Penfold RB. Trends Over Time in Antipsychotic Initiation at a Large Children's Health Care System. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2021; 31:381-386. [PMID: 34143677 PMCID: PMC8233217 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2020.0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: Antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents increased sharply beginning in the 1990s, but recent reports among Medicaid enrollees suggest declining trends. However, few studies have included both commercially and publicly insured patients or focused on trends in new antipsychotic medications in children without documented psychotic disorders or other indicated conditions. The objective of the study was to report trends in new antipsychotic prescribing for pediatric patients (age 3-17 years) in a large children's health care system. Methods: Data were abstracted from electronic medical records (January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017). New antipsychotic medication orders were defined as antipsychotic orders for patients without an order in the 180 days prior. Patients were excluded if the order was initiated in an emergency department or inpatient setting; they were diagnosed with psychotic disorder, mania, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disability; or the order was for prochlorperazine. The crude rate of new antipsychotic prescribing is reported quarterly with Poisson 95% confidence intervals in the total sample and by demographic subgroups (child vs. adolescent, female vs. male, public vs. private insurance, and white vs. nonwhite). Results: Antipsychotic orders decreased from 54.9 prescriptions per 10,000 person months in the first quarter of 2013 to 34.1 per 10,000 person months in the last quarter of 2017. Rates of antipsychotic prescribing were significantly higher for adolescents compared with children, patients who were commercially insured compared with Medicaid insured, and at most time points for white compared with non-white patients. However, prescribing rates did not differ significantly based on gender. Conclusions: Antipsychotic prescribing declined for both commercially and Medicaid-insured children in a pediatric hospital-based system, although white and commercially insured patients were more likely to be prescribed antipsychotics. More attention may be needed for reducing potentially avoidable prescribing of antipsychotics in previously understudied subgroups, such as commercially insured patients. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03448575.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J. Chavez
- Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Address correspondence to: Laura J. Chavez, PhD, MPH, Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Kelly J. Kelleher
- Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Arne Beck
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Institute for Health Research, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Gregory N. Clarke
- Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Robert B. Penfold
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
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