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Psychotropic Medication Prescribing Across Medical Providers, 2016-2019
Phillip M Hughes1, Izabella E Annis1, Robert E McGrath1
1Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill (Hughes, Annis, Thomas); Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Hughes); School of Psychology and Counseling, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey (McGrath).
Objective:
The authors sought to provide updated estimates of the proportion of psychotropic medications prescribed by different medical providers.
Methods:
This pooled cross-sectional study used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2016-2019). Nationally representative estimates of the percentages of all psychotropic medications prescribed by each provider type were calculated, and analyses stratified by medication type, insurance type, and age were conducted.
Results:
Data from 58,547 psychotropic prescriptions reported by 7,693 unique individuals were analyzed. More than 60% of psychotropic medications were prescribed by providers other than psychiatrists (33.5%) or psychologists (2.2%), such as general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This distribution varied significantly by medication, insurance, and patient age.
Conclusions:
Most psychotropic medication prescribing occurs in primary care; however, notable differences by medication, insurance, and age were observed, suggesting areas for future research.
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