Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes: Trend Update

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% of residents received an antipsychotic medication; since then there has been a decrease of 38.9% to a national prevalence of 14.6% in the second quarter of 2018. Success varies by state and CMS region; some states and regions have a reduction greater than 40%. A four-quarter average of this measure is posted on the Nursing Home Compare website.