Long-Term Care

Antipsychotic medication use decreased by almost 19%

MDS 3.0 Insider, October 31, 2014

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The percent of long-stay nursing home residents receiving antipsychotic medication has decreased by almost 19% under a nationwide initiative that started in 2012, according to the most recent quarterly figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
In the second quarter of 2014, 19.4% of long-stay residents were taking antipsychotics, CMS announced. This was down slightly from the first quarter of the year, and from 23.9% at the end of 2011. The latter number was the baseline used by the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes, which launched in 2012 to reduce inappropriate antipsychotic use. The National Partnership includes CMS and private-sector organizations such the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living and LeadingAge.
In September, the Partnership announced that long-term care providers had met the initiative's 15% reduction goal as of the first quarter of 2014. It set a new goal of 25% reduction by the end of 2015 and 30% by the end of 2016.
CMS compiles the reports using publicly reported measures. It excludes residents who are taking an antipsychotic and have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, Huntington's Disease or Tourette's Syndrome.
 
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