The influence of prescriber and patient gender on the prescription of benzodiazepines: results from the Florida Medicaid Dataset.

Background: Benzodiazepine (BZD) prescription rates have increased over the past decade in the United States. Available literature indicates that sociodemographic factors may influence diagnostic patterns and/or prescription behaviour. Herein, the aim of this study is to determine whether the gender of the prescriber and/or patient influences BZD prescription.

Is the risk of antipsychotic polypharmacy discontinuation dependent on the agents used?

This study assesses the risks and benefits of switching from two to one antipsychotic among participants on two non-clozapine oral antipsychotics, and among those on combinations involving either clozapine or an injectable antipsychotic. Ninety adult participants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were assigned to stay on polypharmacy or to switch to monotherapy. Half of these participants were receiving combinations of non-clozapine oral antipsychotics and half were receiving combinations involving either clozapine or an injectable antipsychotic.

Physical Health Outcomes in Preschoolers with Prior Authorization for Antipsychotics.

Objective: To examine incidence of adverse health outcomes and associated factors among preschoolers (under age 6) who received antipsychotic treatment through the Florida Medicaid Prior Authorization (PA) program.

Methods: Using Florida's PA registry linked to the state's Medicaid claims data, we ascertained incident outcomes during PA-approved antipsychotic use between April 2008 and September 2015 (7.5 years).

A computational algorithm for personalized medicine in schizophrenia.

Despite advances in sequencing candidate genes and whole genomes, no method has accurately predicted who will or will not benefit from a specific antipsychotic medication among patients with schizophrenia. We propose a computational algorithm that utilizes a person-centered approach that directly identifies individual patients who will respond to a specific antipsychotic medication. The algorithm was applied to the data obtained from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study.

The risks and benefits of switching patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from two to one antipsychotic medication: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Despite little evidence to support its use and practice guidelines discouraging the practice, antipsychotic polypharmacy is widely prevalent in schizophrenia. This randomized controlled trial studied the effects of switching patients stable on two antipsychotic medications to one antipsychotic medication.

Method: 104 adult outpatients with schizophrenia from 7 community mental health centers clinically stable on concurrent treatment with 2 antipsychotics were randomly assigned to stay on polypharmacy or to switch to antipsychotic monotherapy.

Antipsychotic polypharmacy prescribing patterns and costs in the Florida adult and child Medicaid populations.

The rapid growth in the use of antipsychotic medications and their related costs have resulted in states developing programs to measure, monitor, and insure their beneficial relevance to public program populations. One such program developed in the state of Florida has adopted an evidence-based approach to identify prescribers with unusual psychotherapeutic prescription patterns and track their utilization and costs among Florida Medicaid patients. This study reports on the prescriber prescription and cost patterns for adults and children using three measures of unusual antipsychotic prescribing patterns: (1) two antipsychotics for 60 days (2AP60), (2) three antipsychotics for 60 days (3AP60), and (2) two antipsychotics for 90 or more days (2AP90).

Impact of the Florida Medicaid prior-authorization program on use of antipsychotics by children under age six.

Objective: This study assessed the impact of a prior-authorization process on the use of antipsychotic medications by children under six years old in Florida's fee-for-service Medicaid program.

Methods: Child psychiatrists reviewed requests for antipsychotic treatment (N=1,424) using forms and criteria created by a panel of Florida-based experts. Data on the characteristics of the children and clinicians involved were organized into 11 consecutive quarters beginning in July 2008.

Improving psychotherapeutic medication prescribing in Florida: implementation of the Florida Medicaid Drug Therapy Management Program (MDTMP).

This paper describes a program that was established by Florida Medicaid to improve the quality of prescribing of psychotherapeutic medications. It relates the process used for defining quality medication treatment including the definitions of unusual psychotherapeutic medication indicators (UPMI). It details the results of analysis of FY 2007-2008 pharmacy claims data using these indicators that enabled the Program to identify practices and prescribers that required targeted interventions.

Exposure to antipsychotic medications over a 4-year period among children who initiated antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday.

Purpose: This study aims the following: (i) to describe the exposure to antipsychotic medications over a 4-year period experienced by a cohort of children who initiated antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday; and (ii) to identify variables associated with the risk of antipsychotic exposure.

Methods: Children were identified who initiated an index episode of antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday in Florida's fee for service Medicaid program. With the use of claims data, the medication utilization of these children was tracked during the year before and the 4 years following the start of their index episodes (pre-index and four post-index periods).

Early diagnoses and psychotherapeutic medication treatment experiences of a cohort of children under 6 years old who received antipsychotic treatment in Florida's Medicaid program.

Objective: To describe the diagnostic characteristics and psychotherapeutic medication experiences of a cohort of children who received antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday.

Methods: Children enrolled in Florida's Medicaid program were identified as having initiated an index episode of antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday. The characteristics of these children were compared to nonrecipients who were less than 6 years old on January 1, 2004.

Influence of source and type of admission on in-hospital mortality for coronary artery bypass surgery patients: national results from 1.7 million CABG patients, 1998 to 2002.

Background: Hospitals identify the type of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery admission as routine, urgent, or emergency, and identify CABG admissions as elective, from another hospital, from a long-term healthcare facility, and an admission that results from an emergency room visit. No research has analyzed the importance of these admission characteristics on CABG outcomes.

Methods: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database for 1998 through 2002, 1.