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Antipsychotic prescribing patterns in a Medicare Advantage population of older individuals with dementia
Rachel Kester, Jürgen Unützer, Diane Hogan, Hsiang Yu Huang. Journal of Mental Health, 2016-11-12
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Of the 8688 individuals in the Medicare Advantage population with a dementia diagnosis, 1061 (12.2%) received an antipsychotic medication. Correlates of receiving an antipsychotic medication included older age, dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and having a co-morbid diagnosis of depressive disorder or substance use disorder. Being female was associated with decreased antipsychotic medication use. Regional variations were also noted. Care management programs under Medicare Advantage have opportunities to address behavioral health needs of older adults with dementia and to limit inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications.
Key findings
- Of the 8688 individuals in the Medicare Advantage population with a dementia diagnosis, 1061 (12.2%) received an antipsychotic medication.
- Correlates of receiving an antipsychotic medication included older age, dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and having a co-morbid diagnosis of depressive disorder or substance use disorder.
- Being female was associated with decreased antipsychotic medication use.
- Care management programs under Medicare Advantage have opportunities to address behavioral health needs of older adults with dementia and to limit inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications.
Why it matters
This study describes how many older Medicare Advantage patients with dementia received antipsychotic medications and what factors were associated with that use. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease, and it suggests care management programs could help limit inappropriate antipsychotic use.
Study details
- Participants8,688
- Effect size12.2%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Mental Health) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Journal of Mental Health: journal h-index 113 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 8,688 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 7 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.6 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Hsiang Yu Huang: h-index 30 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27841049) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kester, R., Unützer, J., Hogan, D., & Huang, H. Y. (2016). Antipsychotic prescribing patterns in a Medicare Advantage population of older individuals with dementia. Journal of Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2016.1244720
Vancouver
Kester R, Unützer J, Hogan D, Huang HY. Antipsychotic prescribing patterns in a Medicare Advantage population of older individuals with dementia. Journal of Mental Health. 2016. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1244720. PMID: 27841049.
BibTeX
@article{kester2016-27841049,
author = {Kester, Rachel and Unützer, Jürgen and Hogan, Diane and Huang, Hsiang Yu},
title = {{Antipsychotic prescribing patterns in a Medicare Advantage population of older individuals with dementia}},
journal = {Journal of Mental Health},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1080/09638237.2016.1244720},
pmid = {27841049},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2016.1244720}
}
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