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Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Patients With Dementia in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage
Eli Raver, Jeah Jung, Caroline Carlin, Roger Feldman, Sheldon M. Retchin, Wendy Xu. Medical Care, 2025-05-19
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
MA-PD enrollees had significantly lower utilization of PIMs than standalone PDP enrollees: a 0.7 percentage-point [95% CI: 0.5, 0.8] lower prevalence of potentially harmful drug-disease interactions in older adults with dementia; a 3.1 percentage-point [2.6, 3.5] lower prevalence of potentially harmful drug-disease interactions in older adults with dementia and a history of falls; and a 0.5 percentage-point [0.4, 0.6] lower prevalence of high-risk medications in older adults. MA-PD enrollees with dementia experienced consistently lower prevalence of PIM use than those in PDP. As Medicare advantage enrollment continues to grow, it will be increasingly important to identify and leverage the features of MA-PD plans that promote safe medication prescribing for Medicare beneficiaries with dementia.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Raver, E., Jung, J., Carlin, C., Feldman, R., Retchin, S. M., & Xu, W. (2025). Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Patients With Dementia in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Medical Care. https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000002160
Vancouver
Raver E, Jung J, Carlin C, Feldman R, Retchin SM, Xu W. Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Patients With Dementia in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Medical Care. 2025. doi:10.1097/mlr.0000000000002160.
BibTeX
@article{raver2025-35a52bac,
author = {Raver, Eli and Jung, Jeah and Carlin, Caroline and Feldman, Roger and Retchin, Sheldon M. and Xu, Wendy},
title = {{Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use Among Patients With Dementia in Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage}},
journal = {Medical Care},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1097/mlr.0000000000002160},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000002160}
}
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.
Key findings
- MA-PD enrollees had significantly lower utilization of PIMs than standalone PDP enrollees: a 0.7 percentage-point [95% CI: 0.5, 0.8] lower prevalence of potentially harmful drug-disease interactions in older adults with dementia; a 3.1 percentage-point [2.6, 3.5] lower prevalence of potentially harmful drug-disease interactions in older adults with dementia and a history of falls; and a 0.5 percentage-point [0.4, 0.6] lower prevalence of high-risk medications in older adults.
- MA-PD enrollees with dementia experienced consistently lower prevalence of PIM use than those in PDP.
- As Medicare advantage enrollment continues to grow, it will be increasingly important to identify and leverage the features of MA-PD plans that promote safe medication prescribing for Medicare beneficiaries with dementia.
Why it matters
This study found that people with dementia in Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications less often than those in standalone Medicare drug plans. It does not test any treatment for Alzheimer's disease itself, but it suggests that features of certain Medicare plans may support safer prescribing for people with dementia.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 30/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Medical Care) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Medical Care: journal h-index 273 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Wendy Xu: h-index 12 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Minnesota: institution h-index 1,568 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 30 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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