AMDA Efforts re: OIG Report on Prescribing of Antipsychotic Medications

AMDA has been active on behalf of its members in response to the Office of the Inspector General report on prescribing of antipsychotic medications. In addition to the following activities, the Board of Directors is reviewing talking points developed by the AMDA Public Policy Committee, and reviewed by other committees. Once the talking points have been approved by the Board of Directors, they will be added to this webpage for information.

In response to the Thursday, May 5, 2011 report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) titled Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents, CBS Evening News sought AMDA’s position on the possible overuse or misuse of antipsychotics in nursing homes through a taped interview with AMDA’s Treasurer, J. Kenneth Brubaker, MD, CMD.

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While the story that aired on CBS Evening News on Monday, May 9, 2011, titled Gov't Finds Nursing Homes Misuse Antipsychotics did not provide the full scope of Dr. Brubaker’s view of the current situation, CBS did post in a separate article on its site, Dr. Brubaker’s Tips on moving family into nursing home.

Dr. Brubaker pointed out to CBS that cases in nursing homes where the misuse of chemical restraints occur can many times be attributed to high staff turnover and lack of proper staff training. Dr. Brubaker also noted that AMDA’s mission is to promote the delivery of quality long term care medicine and provides medical education, tools, and resources to the medical community for this reason, including its certification program for medical directors.

Dr. Brubaker was then interviewed by PBS Newshour for a May 23 web-based article (www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/05/audit-widespread-use-of-antipsychotic-drugs-in-nursing-homes.html).

To establish best practices for medical staff, AMDA has developed Clinical Practice Guidelines and tool kits on dementia, delirium, and acute problematic behavior. Additionally, AMDA has recently published the Multidisciplinary Medication Management Manual, which provides practitioners in long-term care with information and tools to help them improve patient care, enhance medication management, and reduce medication errors.

AMDA's Educational Plan for Education on the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes can be found here.

AMDA’s Position Statement on Pharmacy Physician Relations and Appropriate Prescribing for LTC Patients can be found here.

AMDA’s Talking Points on Appropriate Prescribing of Antipsychotics  can be found here.

Related Articles

AMDA Meets with House Ways and Means on Antipsychotic Prescribing (June 2011)

AMDA Responds to Newly Issued OIG Study on Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes (May 2011)

Inspector General report: 1 in 7 nursing home residents are incorrectly prescribed psychotropic medications (McKnights, May 2011)

What Physicians Have to Say (California Association of Health Facilities website, March 2011)