Publications by authors named "B J Zarowitz"
Objectives: To describe nursing home (NH) characteristics associated with antipsychotic use and test whether associations changed after implementation of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care's antipsychotic reduction initiative (ARI).
Methods: Longitudinal quasi-experimental design using data from multiple sources and piecewise linear mixed models were used for statistical analyses.
Results: There was a significant decrease in monthly antipsychotic use across the study period (pre-ARI b = -0.
Study Objective: This report highlights the effects of discontinuing venlafaxine on thyroid function in an older adult with previously well-managed Hashimoto thyroiditis and sleep apnea.
Design: Concurrent intervention.
Case Study: Setting Community-based psychiatry practice Patient - 66 year old female Intervention Over 8 months, a 66-year-old patient slowly reduced the venlafaxine dose.
Background: In July 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services launched an antipsychotic reduction initiative (ARI) to improve care for nursing facility residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). We examined the impact of this policy on antipsychotic and psychotropic medication (PM) utilization and diagnosis patterns in long-stay nursing facility residents with ADRD and other conditions in which antipsychotics are indicated.
Methods: Using an 80% sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with Part D, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of nursing facility residents with ADRD, bipolar disorder, psychosis, Parkinson's disease, and residents exempt from the policy due to diagnoses of schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, and/or Huntington's disease.
Background: Medication reviews through Medicare's Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program may improve patient outcomes and lower health system costs, but these effects could be limited by a program design that does not address social determinants of health.
Objective: To analyze the effects of social determinants of health on the odds of an eligible Medicare beneficiary not being offered Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR).
Methods: Using the full 100% sample of the 2016 Part D Medication Therapy Management Data File linked to Medicare Master Beneficiary Summary File, a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was conducted to determine which social and demographic variables are most strongly associated with being eligible for a CMR but not being offered one.