Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes: Trend Update from CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is tracking the progress of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes by reviewing publicly reported measures. The official measure of the Partnership is the percentage of long-stay nursing home residents who receive antipsychotic medication, excluding residents diagnosed with schizophrenia, Huntington's disease or Tourette’s syndrome. In the fourth quarter of 2011, 23.9 percent residents received an antipsychotic medication; since then there has been a decrease of 35.4 percent to a national prevalence of 15.4 percent in the third quarter of 2017. Success varies by state and CMS region; some states and regions have a reduction greater than 35 percent. A four-quarter average of this measure is posted on the Nursing Home Compare website.

For More Information:

• Visit the Partnership webpage
• Send correspondence to dnh_behavioralhealth@cms.hhs.gov
• Register for the Medicare Learning Network call on March 20