Example of Psychotropic Medication Use Measure from Settlement Agreement3
| By 18 months from the effective Date hereof, CVHa shall develop and implement policies and/or guidelines to ensure system-wide monitoring of the safety, effectiveness, and appropriateness of all psychotropic medication use, consistent with generally accepted professional standards of care. In particular, policies and/or guidelines shall address: |
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| A. monitoring of the use of psychotropic medications to ensure that they are: 1.) specifically matched to current, clinically justified diagnoses; 2.) prescribed in therapeutic amounts, as dictated by the needs of the individual patient; 3.) tailored to each individual's clinical needs; 4.) monitored for effectiveness against the objectives of the individual’s treatment plan; 5.) monitored appropriately for side effects; and 6.) properly documented; |
| B. monitoring of the use of PRN medications to ensure that these medications are clinically justified and administered on a time-limited basis, and not used as a substitute for adequate treatment of the underlying cause of the individual’s condition; |
| C. monitoring of the use of benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and polypharmacy to ensure clinical justification and attention to associated risks; |
| D. appropriate use of psychotropic medications with attention to side effects; |
| E. timely identification, reporting, data analyses, and follow up remedial action regarding adverse drug reactions reporting (“ADR”); |
| F. drug utilization evaluation (“DUE”) in accord with established, up-to-date medication guidelines; |
| G. documentation, reporting, data analyses, and follow up remedial action regarding actual and potential medication variances (“MVR”); |
| H. tracking of individual and group practitioner trends, including data derived from monitoring of the use of PRNs, benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and polypharmacy, and of ADRs, DUE, and MVR; |
| I. feedback to the practitioner and educational/corrective actions in response to identified trends, when indicated; and |
| J. use of information derived from ADRs, DUE, MVR, and providing such information to the Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Therapeutics Review, and Mortality and Morbidity Committees (Ref. 3, p 13–14) |
aCVH: Connecticut Valley Hospital.