Antipsychotic prescription medication for children has declined significantly, according to a Rutgers study that found a 43 percent drop for Medicaid-enrolled children from 45 states. Published in the July issue of Health Affairs, the study examined Medicaid claims data between 2008 to 2016, looking at the off-label usage of these medications and found that antipsychotic prescription use sharply declined among children across age, sex, racial and ethnic groups and foster care status.
“The decline we observed likely reflects the convergence of multiple state safer-use policies along with educational initiatives and the implementation of quality metrics for safe antipsychotic prescribing,” said Stephen Crystal, director of the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IFH) and senior author of the study. “They reflect the results of many cross-state and within-state efforts to address national concerns about safe prescribing.” To read the full story.