Over the past two years, Alabama nursing homes safely reduced the off-label use of antipsychotic medications by 18%. Surpassing the nationwide goal of a 15% reduction.
The nationwide goal is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes and the American Health Care Association’s (AHCA) Quality Initiative.
The baseline for improvement is the fourth quarter of 2011 when 26.7% of long-stay Alabama nursing home residents were receiving an antipsychotic medication. The 18% decrease over two years means only 21.9% percent of residents were receiving antipsychotic medication in the fourth quarter of 2013.
The national efforts to improve dementia care are tracked by reviewing a publicly-reported measure – the percent of long-stay nursing center residents who are receiving an antipsychotic medication, excluding those residents diagnosed with schizophrenia, Huntington’s Disease or Tourette’s Syndrome.
According to AHCA, the use of antipsychotic medication as an attempt to modify behaviors associated with dementia is not supported clinically and is considered off-label by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These medications may be appropriate for individuals suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, but in the elderly living with dementia, they increase the risk of complications resulting in poor health and high costs.
About the AHCA Quality Initiative:
The American Health Care Association’s Quality Initiative is a national effort that builds upon existing work of the long term and post-acute care profession in advancing quality care by setting specific, measurable targets to further improve quality of care in America’s skilled nursing centers and assisted living communities. Among the Quality Initiative’s four priorities is a goal to safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic medications. The Quality Initiative embraces CMS’s Triple Aim of Better Health, Better Quality and Reduced Costs. For more information, please visit qualityinitiative.ahcancal.org.
