Antipsychotic Use Among Youth in Foster Care Enrolled in a Specialized Managed Care Organization Intervention

Incorporating clinician insight and care plans into an audit and feedback initiative for antipsychotic prescribing to Medicaid-enrolled youth in Philadelphia

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.

Cost of Implementing an Evidence-Based Intervention to Support Safer Use of Antipsychotics in Youth

To estimate the cost of implementing a clinical program designed to support safer use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents (youth) age 3-17 years at the time of initiating an antipsychotic medication. We calculate the costs of implementing a psychiatric consultation and navigation program for youth prescribed antipsychotic medications across 4 health systems, which included an electronic health record (EHR) decision support tool, consultation with a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and up to 6 months of behavioral health care navigation, as well as telemental health for patients (n = 348). Cost data were collected for both start-up and ongoing intervention phases and are estimated over a 1-year period. Data sources included study records and time-in-motion reports, analyzed from a health system perspective. Costs included both labor and nonlabor costs (2019 US dollars). The average total start-up and ongoing costs per health system were $34,007 and $185,174, respectively. The average total cost per patient was $2,128. The highest average ongoing labor cost components were telemental health ($901 per patient), followed by child and adolescent psychiatrist consultation ($659), and the lowest cost component was primary care/behavioral health provider time to review/respond to the EHR decision support tool and case consultation ($24). For health systems considering programs to promote safer and targeted use of antipsychotics among youth, this study provides estimates of the full start-up and ongoing costs of an EHR decision support tool, psychiatric consultation service, and psychotherapeutic services for patients and families.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03448575.

Antipsychotic Medication Use In Medicaid-Insured Children Decreased Substantially Between 2008 And 2016

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.

The Role of Formal Policy to Promote Informed Consent of Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Child Welfare Custody: A National Examination

Active participation of youth and surrogate decision-makers in providing informed consent and assent for mental health treatment is critical. However, the procedural elements of an informed consent process, particularly for youth in child welfare custody, are not well defined. Given calls for psychotropic medication oversight for youth in child welfare custody, this study proposes a taxonomy for the procedural elements of informed consent policies based upon formal and informal child welfare policies and then examines whether enacted state formal policies across the United States endorsed these elements. A sequential multi-method study design included: (1) semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 58) primarily from state child welfare agencies to identify a taxonomy of procedural elements for informed consent of psychotropic medications and then (2) a legislative review of the 50 states and D.C. to characterize whether formal policies endorsed each procedural element through February 2022. Key informants reported five procedural elements in policy, including how to: (1) gather social and medical history, (2) prescribe the medication, (3) authorize its use through consent and youth assent, (4) notify relevant stakeholders, and (5) routinely review the consenting decision. Twenty-three states endorsed relevant legislation; however, only two states specified all five procedural elements. Additionally, the content of a procedural element, when included, varied substantively across policies. Further research and expert consensus are needed to set best practices and guide policymakers in setting policies to advance transparency and accountability for informed consent of mental health treatment among youth in child welfare custody.

Antipsychotics in the California Foster Care System: A 10-Year Analysis

Background: In response to concerns regarding psychotropic medication prescribing, California's foster care system implemented oversight strategies to improve prescribing and monitoring practice, particularly for antipsychotics. The impact of these policies has not been evaluated. Objectives: To examine foster youth psychotropic use data in California and their relationship to national and state policy initiatives. Methods: This study analyzed 2011-2020 data curated by the California Child Welfare Indicators Project. The platform matches Medicaid medication and laboratory claims with individual-level foster youth data to report rates of dispensed psychotropic medications, authorization status, and metabolic screening. Results: In 2011, there were 78,231 California youth in foster care, of which 10,435 (13.3%) received psychotropics and 5570 (7.1%) antipsychotics. In 2020, of 68,386 foster children, 7172 (12.2%) received psychotropics and 2068 (3.0%) antipsychotics. Proper authorizations for psychotropics were obtained for 5581 (77.8%) foster youth in 2020. Of those receiving antipsychotics, 904 (43.7%) underwent metabolic screening. The greatest declines in antipsychotic use occurred between 2013 (6.7%) and 2018 (3.1%). Overall 2011 to 2020 declines were similar for males (8.5% → 3.6%, 58% reduction, p < 0.001) and females (5.5% → 2.4%, 57% reduction, p < 0.001). Regarding age and race, greater declines occurred for children <10 years (2.33% → 0.84%, 64% reduction, p < 0.001) and Latino youth (5.4% → 2.2%, 59% reduction, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Temporal patterns in antipsychotic use suggest an impact of policies and guidelines. While 12.2% of foster youth continue to receive psychotropics, there were reductions in racial/ethnic disparities and declines in antipsychotic use. Lack of adherence to authorization and metabolic screening requirements continue to be concerning.

The Complexity of Psychotropic Medication Prescription and Treating Trauma Among Youth in Foster Care: Perspectives from the Lived Experience

Youth in the US foster care system are disproportionately prescribed antipsychotic and psychotropic medication compared to youth not involved with foster care. Research on the relationship between experiences of trauma, mental health symptoms, evidence-based treatment, and safe psychotropic prescribing practices for youth in foster care is limited. We explored stakeholders' perspectives of the relationship between psychotropic medications and trauma informed care (TIC) for youth in foster care. We conducted semi-structured individual and group interviews with foster caregivers, caseworkers, prescribing clinicians, and alumni of the foster care system. Data were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Five themes emerged across and within stakeholder groups: (1) acknowledging trauma; (2) role of psychotropic medication; (3) psychosocial resources; (4) additional supports; and, (5) training and education. Stakeholders identified TIC as an important component of mental health services for youth in foster care. There was not consensus around the role of psychotropic medication in treating trauma; however, most stakeholders felt that it was overused. Respondents suggested including additional supportive team members to help guide youth through the mental health treatment system, and emphasized the importance of support from individuals with common lived experiences. Results demonstrate the need for a system that emphasizes trauma-sensitive clinical interactions and psychosocial supports. Improving training and education for stakeholders, and providing additional sources of support for youth in foster care, could help better identify and treat the effects of trauma and the safe pharmacotherapy for youth in foster care.

Interventions to Improve Metabolic Risk Screening Among Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotic Medication: A Systematic Review

Objective: Antipsychotic use among youth is common and is associated with metabolic side effects such as weight gain. Guidelines recommend periodic screening of metabolic measures in youth prescribed antipsychotics; however, a guideline-to-practice gap exists. We systematically reviewed the literature to synthesize the knowledge from interventions that aim to improve antipsychotic metabolic screening. We described the interventions' effect on screening rates, the strategies used for improvement, and study quality. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies that attempted to improve antipsychotic metabolic risk screening practices among pediatric populations published between 2004 and August 2019. We included studies with an improvement intervention that compared screening rates before and after the intervention. We extracted data about study characteristics, screening rates in pre- and postintervention groups, strategies used to influence screening practices, and assessed studies' risk of bias. This review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO #CRD42018088241. Results: We identified six studies that demonstrated modest improvements in median metabolic screening rates for waist circumference (0%-16%), glucose (9%-39%), and lipids (11%-37%). Median postintervention screening rates were higher for weight and blood pressure (84% and 72.5%) compared with glucose and lipids (39% and 37%). Interventions used a variety of improvement strategies to address patient-, provider-, and organization-level barriers for screening, including increasing patient and provider knowledge regarding antipsychotic side effects, fostering social clinical environments that promote screening, and organizational commitment for screening antipsychotic-treated youth. All interventions were deemed at high risk of bias due to uncontrolled design and lack of adjustment for confounders. Conclusions: Included studies reported partial success in improving antipsychotic screening rates but were of poor methodological quality. Common improvement strategies may affect provider behavior to conduct metabolic screening, but these need to be tailored to local resources and organization structure. Future studies need to use rigorous methodology and theory-informed improvement strategies aligned with organizational actions to prioritize safe and judicious practice of antipsychotics among pediatric populations.

Systematic Review: System-wide Interventions to Monitor Pediatric Antipsychotic Prescribing and Promote Best Practice

OBJECTIVE

Rapid growth of antipsychotic use among children and adolescents at the turn of the 21st century led Medicaid programs to implement 3 types of system-wide interventions: antipsychotic monitoring programs, clinician prescribing supports, and delivery system enhancements. This systematic review assessed the available evidence base for and relative merits of these system-wide interventions that aim to improve antipsychotic treatment and management.

METHOD

Using PRISMA guidelines, eligible studies were written in English and evaluated system-wide interventions to monitor antipsychotic treatment or promote antipsychotic management among children and adolescents (0-21 years of age). Studies were identified through Ovid MEDLINE and PsychInfo (years 1990-2018) and an environmental scan. From an initial review of 824 publications, 17 studies met eligibility criteria. Two authors independently conducted quality assessments using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. Findings were summarized descriptively.

RESULTS

Identified studies (n = 17) evaluated prior authorization programs (n = 10), drug utilization reviews (n = 2), quality improvement (n = 4), care coordination programs (n = 1), and multimodal initiatives (n = 2). Studies were predominantly pre-post analyses, without a comparison group. With the exception of care coordination and drug utilization reviews, more than half of the interventions in each category were associated with significant reduction in antipsychotic treatment or promotion of best practice parameters.

CONCLUSION

This evidence review concludes that evaluations of prior authorization programs demonstrate reductions in antipsychotic treatment, though evidence of impact of other system-wide interventions and other outcomes is limited. Additional research is necessary to investigate whether interventions influenced antipsychotic prescribing independent of secular trends, the comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions, the effect on functional outcomes, and the potential for unintended consequences.

Healthcare resource utilization, costs and treatment patterns in patients with bipolar disorder treated with lurasidone or cariprazine

OBJECTIVE

To compare healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), costs, and treatment adherence and persistence for patients with bipolar disorder treated with lurasidone or cariprazine.

METHODS

Adult patients with bipolar disorder who initiated lurasidone or cariprazine as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2019 were identified from the IBM MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Database. The date of the first claim for lurasidone or cariprazine was defined as the index date. A difference-in-difference (DID) analysis, which mitigated bias by using each cohort as its own control, compared the changes in HCRU and costs from 6-months pre-treatment (baseline) to 6-months post-treatment (follow-up) between the two cohorts. Treatment adherence (medication possession ratio and proportion of days covered) and persistence (time to discontinuation) were assessed during the 6-month post-treatment period. Adjusted analyses were conducted using inverse probability of treatment weighting on HCRU, costs, and time to discontinuation.

RESULTS

A total of 16,683 patients treated with lurasidone and 4,128 patients treated with cariprazine were identified. Average age (39-40) and proportion female (68-71%) were similar between cohorts. Both cohorts had reductions in hospitalizations from baseline to follow-up, and the decrease was significantly greater for the lurasidone cohort compared to the cariprazine cohort (change in the proportions of patients with all-cause hospitalizations: -5.3% vs. -2.5%, DID = -2.8%, p<.001). The total healthcare costs increased from baseline to follow-up in both cohorts, and the increase was significantly lower for the lurasidone cohort (change in total all-cause healthcare cost per person: $3,413 vs. $4,642, DID=-$1,228, p = .022). The lurasidone cohort had significantly lower risk of discontinuing treatment (hazard ratio = 0.86, p<.001) than the cariprazine cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with bipolar disorder treated with lurasidone had greater reductions in hospitalizations from 6-months pre-treatment to 6-months post-treatment and had a lower increase in total costs compared to patients treated with cariprazine.

A best-worst scaling experiment to identify patient-centered claims-based outcomes for evaluation of pediatric antipsychotic monitoring programs

Objective

This article employs a best‐worst scaling (BWS) experiment to identify the claims‐based outcomes that matter most to patients and other relevant parties when evaluating pediatric antipsychotic monitoring programs in the United States.

Data Sources

Patients and relevant parties, with pediatric antipsychotic oversight and treatment experience, completed a BWS experiment, including policymakers (n = 31), foster care alumni (n = 28), caseworkers (n = 23), prescribing clinicians (n = 32), and caregivers (n = 18).

Study Design

Respondents received surveys with a scenario on antipsychotic monitoring programs and ranked 11 candidate claims‐based outcomes as most and least important for program evaluation.

Data Analysis

Stratified by respondent group, best‐worst scores were calculated to identify the relative importance of the claims‐based outcomes. A conditional logit examined whether candidate outcomes for safety, quality, and unintended consequences were preferred over reduction in antipsychotic treatment, the outcome used most often to evaluate antipsychotic monitoring programs.

Principal Findings

Safety indicators (eg, antipsychotic co‐pharmacy, cross‐class polypharmacy, higher than recommended doses) ranked among the top three candidate outcomes across respondent groups and were an important complement to antipsychotic treatment reduction. Foster care alumni prioritized “antipsychotic treatment reduction” and “increased psychosocial treatment.” Caseworkers, prescribers, and caregivers prioritized “increased follow‐up after treatment initiation.” Potential unintended consequences of an antipsychotic monitoring program ranked lowest, including increased use of other psychotropic medication classes (as a substitute), increased psychiatric hospital stays, and increased emergency room utilization. Results of the conditional logit model found only caregivers significantly preferred other indicators over antipsychotic treatment reduction, preferring improvements in follow‐up care (5.78) and psychosocial treatment (4.53) and reduction in prescriptions of higher than recommended doses (3.64).

Conclusions

The BWS experiment supported rank ordering of candidate claims‐based outcomes demonstrating the opportunity for future studies to align outcomes used in antipsychotic monitoring program evaluations with community preferences, specifically by diversifying metrics to include safety and quality indicators.

Editorial: Beyond the Prior Authorization: Multimodal Efforts to Reduce Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing in Foster Care Youth

When it comes to efforts to reduce the overprescribing of psychiatric medications, the first thing that comes to mind for many clinicians is burdensome prior authorizations or generic letters from insurance companies telling you things you already know. Most psychiatrists and primary care clinicians are well aware of the potential risks associated with drugs such as antipsychotic medications, and many wonder if these intrusions into the doctor-patient relationship go beyond saving money and actually contribute to improved care.