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Medicaid prior authorization policies and imprisonment among patients with schizophrenia.
- Source :
-
The American journal of managed care [Am J Manag Care] 2014 Jul; Vol. 20 (7), pp. 577-86. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Objective: To examine the impact of Medicaid prior authorization for atypical antipsychotics on the prevalence of schizophrenia among the prison population. Study<br />Design: We collected drug-level information on prior authorization restrictions from Medicaid programs in 30 states to determine which states had prior authorization requirements before 2004. We linked the regulatory data to a survey of prison inmates conducted in 2004.<br />Methods: We used a sample of 16,844 inmates from a nationally representative survey and analyzed the data using cross-sectional regression. To capture the impact of prior authorization, we estimated 2 models: the first included an indicator variable for states requiring prior authorization, and a second model used per capita atypical usage.<br />Results: Evidence indicated that prior authorization restrictions on atypical antipsychotics are associated with an increase in the odds of a schizophrenic resident being imprisoned in a state. State-level prior authorization requirements for atypical antipsychotics are associated with a 2.7% increase in the likelihood that an imprisoned inmate displays psychotic symptoms, and a 1.25 increase in the likelihood that an inmate was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia by a physician. Higher state-level atypical prescriptions per capita are also associated with lower likelihood of psychotic symptoms and of prior schizophrenia diagnosis among prisoners.<br />Conclusions: Prior authorization requirements for atypical antipsychotics, which are designed to reduce healthcare costs, are associated with greater prevalence of mental illness within the criminal justice system.This association raises important questions about whether increased costs to the criminal justice system might mitigate or offset prescription drug savings created by prior authorization requirements.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Antipsychotic Agents therapeutic use
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Reimbursement Mechanisms organization & administration
Schizophrenia drug therapy
United States epidemiology
Young Adult
Insurance Coverage organization & administration
Medicaid organization & administration
Prisoners statistics & numerical data
Schizophrenia epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1936-2692
- Volume :
- 20
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of managed care
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 25295404