OIG: 1 in 7 Nursing Home Residents Incorrectly Prescribed Antipsychotics

An alarming new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reveals that as many as one in seven nursing home residents are incorrectly being prescribed psychotropic medications that increase the risk of death.

According to report:

• 51 percent of the antipsychotics paid for in the first half of 2007 were "erroneous"
• 83 percent of the claims were associated with off-label use
• 88 percent of the claims were used to treat residents with dementia, for whom antipsychotics can be fatal

In light of these findings, the OIG is calling for more aggressive provider education efforts on the use of psychotropic medications, including antipsychotics such as Seroquel, Zyprexa, Risperdal and Abilify.

Following the release of the findings, two U.S. senators, Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) drafted a letter to CMS Director Donald Berwick that asked why Medicare has paid millions of dollars in claims for drugs that are not being used appropriately. CMS alleged that some of the improper use can be tied to drug manufacturers paying kickbacks to nursing homes to increase prescriptions for certain medications.

The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) cautions that the findings, which are based on 2007 data, might not be an accurate reflection of what is happening in 2011 and that many facilities have likely rolled out education programs that address unnecessary drugs and pharmacy services.

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