New Managed Care Study Findings Have Been Reported by G. Martin Reinhart and Co-Researchers (Psychiatric Medication Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates for Medicare Beneficiaries): Managed Care

2026 FEB 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Managed Care is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Portland, Oregon, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “There is a significant shortage of psychiatrists compared with the demand for their services. We studied Medicare Part D claims of psychiatrists and similar clinician prescribers to identify possible shifts in medication prescribing to address this gap.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research, “This pharmacoepidemiology study aimed to identify prescribing patterns among psychiatrists, family physicians, internists, physician associates/assistants (PAs), and nurse practitioners (NPs), as well as trends. An observational, retrospective cohort study of Medicare Part D claims from 2013 to 2022 was conducted. Psychiatrists’ prescription patterns were compared with those of non-psychiatrists, using the National Provider Identifier (NPI). Diagnosis information was not available in the dataset. In 2022, more than 32,400 psychiatrists’ prescriptions were submitted for more than 36.6 million Medicare Part D claims for various medications. Prescribers and medication claim counts were analyzed to determine the most commonly prescribed drugs by psychiatrists. Total psychiatrist prescription counts and trends were compared with those of primary care physicians, PAs, and NPs. Family practice physicians wrote more than 55 million prescriptions in 2022, nearly twice the number written by psychiatrists. From 2013 to 2022, prescriptions written by PAs and NPs showed a strong upward trend. In 2020, prescription claims by NPs surpassed psychiatrists, and by 2022, they had exceeded those of internal medicine physicians. Claims by NPs increased from 8.6% to 24.8%, whereas psychiatrists’ claims decreased from 24.4% to 18.0%.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “As of 2023, NPs and PAs comprise a significant portion of the workforce that addresses gaps in mental health medication care for Medicare patients.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Psychiatric Medication Prescribing by Nurse Practitioners and Physician Associates for Medicare Beneficiaries. Medical Care, 2026. Medical Care can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins - www.lww.com; Medical Care - http://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/pages/default.aspx)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting G. Martin Reinhart, 2006 NE Weidler St., Portland, OR. Additional authors for this research include Roderick S. Hooker, Joycelyn M. Yamzon and Robert E. McKenna.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/mlr.0000000000002293. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal Medical Care is: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)