The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has met its latest goal for antipsychotic reduction in nursing homes, and with it set a new one for under-performing providers: cutting antipsychotic use by 15% over the next two years.
The agency announced on Monday that its National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care accomplished its goal of reducing the national rate of antipsychotic use among long-stay skilled nursing residents by 30% by the end of 2016.
In total, the national prevalence of antipsychotic use for long-stay residents dropped just over 34%, from 23.9% in 2011 to 15.7% at the end of the first quarter of 2017. The states with the most progress in reducing antipsychotic use were Tennessee, California, Arkansas and Washington, D.C.
In its announcement CMS encourage facilities that already have low antipsychotic rates to “continue their efforts and maintain their success.” For those providers that still have high rates, the agency issued a new goal to decrease the rate by 15% by the end of 2019.
While the Partnership’s initial focus has been on reducing antipsychotic medication rates, “the larger mission is to enhance the use of non-pharmacologic approaches and person-centered dementia care practices,” CMS noted in its announcement.
Click here to see CMS’ full data report on antipsychotic use, which includes state- and region-focused information.
