Reports from University of Maryland Provide New Insights into Managed Care (Psychotropic Polypharmacy Combinations and Duration of Polypharmacy Among Medicaid-enrolled Youths): Managed Care

2025 MAR 25 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Managed Care. According to news originating from Baltimore, Maryland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “This study evaluated psychotropic polypharmacy frequency and patterns of use among Medicaid-enrolled youths. A cross-sectional study of a state Medicaid claims database (2015-2020) focused on youths (<= 17 years old) with at least one psychotropic medication claim and >= 90 continuous days of Medicaid enrollment.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Maryland, “Psychotropic polypharmacy (claims for three or more therapeutic classes of psychotropics for >= 90 consecutive days) was analyzed as average annual days and annual prevalence of class combinations. Multivariable negative binomial regression models assessed changes in annual psychotropic polypharmacy days. A total of 126,972 unique youths were identified. Almost all youths with psychotropic polypharmacy had three-class combinations, the most common of which included attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder medications, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. The number of polypharmacy days increased from a mean +/- SD of 227.8 +/- 90.3 in 2015 to 235.7 +/- 97.5 in 2020. Poly- pharmacy days significantly increased year over year (rate ratio= 1.01, 95% CI=1.00-1.01).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Psychotropic polypharmacy regimens reflect chronic use that is increasing over time.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Psychotropic Polypharmacy Combinations and Duration of Polypharmacy Among Medicaid-enrolled Youths. Psychiatric Services, 2025;76(2):196-199. Psychiatric Services can be contacted at: Amer Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, 800 Maine Ave SW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20024, USA.

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Yueh-Yi Chiang, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, Dept Practice Sci & Hlth Outcomes Res, Baltimore, MD 20742, United States. Additional authors for this research include Alejandro Amill-Rosario, Phuong Tran and Susan Dosreis.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20240113. 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.

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