Ohio’s Most Medicated Nursing Homes (April 2019 Data)

I recently reviewed the latest data from Medicare (April 2019 data covering all 4 quarters of 2019) and found that there are some Ohio nursing homes providing enormous numbers of their residents with anti-psychotics (long-term, residents), hypnotics (long-term residents), and giving new short-term residents anti-psychotics (as in, new to the resident).

All of these can be extremely concerning for the possibility that the facility is seeking medications for residents to keep them docile and drugged up.

Of course, it’s entirely possible many of those residents legitimately need this type of medication.

Below are the top-20 facilities with residents prescribed the most of these types of medications, by the percentage of their residents, as reported by Medicare:

Worst 20 Ohio Nursing Homes by Percentage of Long-Stay Residents who Received an Antipsychotic Medication

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Based on April 1, 2019 data averaging all 2018 quarterly data.

Another type of medicine that can be used to keep residents docile or otherwise reduce the staffing needs are hypnotic or anti-anxiety medications.  Below are the worst 20 Ohio nursing homes listed by percentage of long-stay residents who received an antianxiety or hypnotic medication according to Medicare.

Worst 20 Ohio Nursing Homes by Percentage of long-stay residents who Received an Antianxiety or Hypnotic Medication

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Based on April 1, 2019 data averaging all 2018 quarterly data.

Short-term residents are at risk of overmedication with these types of drugs, too.  Of course, they can also have a new need–such as psychotic episodes after a trauma or surgery requiring rehabilitation–but it can be a flag that the facility is seeking out medication orders to keep even short-term residents docile.

Below are the worst 20 Ohio nursing homes listed by percentage of short-stay residents who newly received an antipsychotic medication according to Medicare.

Worst 20 Ohio Nursing Homes by Percentage of Short-Stay Residents who Newly Received an Antipsychotic Medication

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Based on April 1, 2019 data averaging all 2018 quarterly data.

You see some overlap in the first two tables, less so in the third.  Perhaps this is because the facilities in the third table are seeing the types of residents who may newly need this medication, or have a greater percentage of short term / rehab patients.  Who knows.

This is just one slice of data, highlighting concerns about specific types of over-medication.  Learn more about over-medication concerns.