On July 10, 2013 from 10:30 to 12 (Pacific), the CMS National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes will hold another national provider call to discuss successful strategies in dementia care. To register for the call, click here to go to the CMS upcoming national provider calls website.
California’s quality measure shows that last year, California was below the national average in the use of psychotropic medications. California nursing homes reported a 19.3 percent average use of antipsychotics, below the national average of 22.9 percent. The data found that 39 other states have higher use of antipschotics.
However in a recent stakeholder call, CMS cautioned that some surveys show that psychotropic drugs were inappropriately being removed from the resident’s care. The question of appropriate use of psychotropic drugs in dementia care is not an easy one to answer. Please ensure that resident assessments and justifications for care in these areas are comprehensive.
Contact: Lori Costa, Policy Consultant at (916) 469-3377.
