Assessment of Unmet Health-Related Social Needs Among Patients With Mental Illness Enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

Importance: A large body of literature has found associations between unmet health-related social needs (HRSNs) and adverse mental health outcomes. A comparative analysis of the risks associated with HRSNs among patients with varying severity of mental illness and an assessment of how these risks compare with those of individuals without mental illness are needed. Objective: To examine the prevalence and risks of HRSNs among patients with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI), patients with mental health diagnoses but no serious and persistent mental illness (non-SPMI), and patients with both SPMI and non-SPMI compared with individuals without mental illness. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Accountable Health Communities HRSN Screening Tool surveys, which target a nationally representative sample of Medicare Advantage members of a large payer (Humana Inc). The surveys were conducted between October 16, 2019, and February 29, 2020. Of the initial 329 008 eligible Medicare Advantage enrollees, 70 273 responded to the survey (21.4% response rate). Of those, 56 081 respondents (79.8%) had complete survey responses and were included in the final analytic sample. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes of interest included 7 HRSNs (financial strain, food insecurity, housing instability, housing quality, severe loneliness, transportation problems, and utility affordability) based on responses to the survey. The major independent variable was the presence of mental illness up to 12 months preceding the date of survey completion. Codes indicating mental illness listed as the primary, principal, or secondary diagnoses of a patient's inpatient or outpatient medical claims data were identified, and participants were grouped into 4 cohorts: SPMI, non-SPMI, SPMI plus non-SPMI, and no mental illness. Results: Among 56 081 older adults, the mean (SD) age was 71.31 (8.59) years; 32 717 participants (58.3%) were female, and 43 498 (77.6%) were White. A total of 21 644 participants (38.6%) had at least 1 mental illness diagnosis in the past year, 30 262 (54.0%) had an HRSN, and 14 163 (25.3%) had both mental illness and an HRSN. Across all specific HRSNs, the odds of experiencing the respective HRSN was most substantial for those with SPMI plus non-SPMI vs those with only non-SPMI or SPMI. The HRSN with the largest risk differences among the study cohorts was severe loneliness; compared with the cohort without mental illness, the non-SPMI cohort had 2.07 times higher odds (95% CI, 1.84-2.32; P < .001), the SPMI cohort had 3.35 times higher odds (95% CI, 3.03-3.71; P < .001), and the SPMI plus non-SPMI cohort had 5.13 times higher odds (95% CI, 4.68-5.61; P < .001) of severe loneliness. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, the increased risk of having HRSNs associated with SPMI, alone or in combination with non-SPMI, emphasizes the need for more targeted interventions to address social needs in this vulnerable population.

Care Management of Comorbid Medical and Psychiatric Illness: A Conceptual Framework for Improving Equity of Care.

Psychiatric and medical comorbidities are common among adults in the United States. Due to the complex interplay between medical and psychiatric illness, comorbidities result in substantial disparities in morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. There is, thus, both an ethical and fiscal imperative to develop care management programs to address the needs of individuals with comorbid conditions. Although there is substantial evidence supporting the use of care management for improving health outcomes for patients with chronic diseases, the majority of interventions described in the literature are condition-specific. Given the prevalence of comorbidities, the authors of this article reviewed the literature and drew on their clinical expertise to guide the development of future multimorbidity care management programs. Their review yielded one study of multimorbidity care management and two studies of multimorbidity collaborative care. The authors supplemented their findings by describing three key pillars of effective care management, as well as specific interventions to offer patients based on their psychiatric diagnoses and illness severity. The authors proposed short-, medium-, and long-term indicators to measure and track the impact of care management programs on disparities in care. Future studies are needed to identify which elements of existing multimorbidity collaborative care models are active ingredients, as well as which of the suggested supplemental interventions offer the greatest value.

Metabolic Monitoring Rates of Youth Treated with Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Usual Care: Results of a Large US National Commercial Health Plan.

Objectives: To examine metabolic monitoring rates in commercially insured children and adolescents treated with a second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) during calendar years (CYs) 2016 and 2017. Methods: In this retrospective study, data were collected from a large national commercial health plan for the period covering January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. Commercially insured children and adolescents, aged 8-19 years with ≥2 SGA prescription claims during the CY, were identified for the CY2016 and CY2017 cohorts. The primary outcome of interest was the percentage of subjects with any glucose or lipid metabolism parameter monitoring. Other calculated metabolic testing rates included glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), other cholesterol (including triglycerides), and combined glucose and lipid metabolism testing (≥1 test for blood glucose or HbA1c and ≥1 test for LDL-C or other cholesterol). Results: In CY2016 and CY2017, 1502 and 1239 subjects, respectively, were identified for this study. The most common psychiatric diagnoses in CY2016 and CY2017 were major depressive disorder (57.1%, 56.5%, respectively), anxiety disorders (42.9%, 47.5%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (41.6%, 45.8%), and bipolar disorder (24.1%, 25.9%). The rate of any metabolic testing was 53.5% in CY2016 and 51.3% in CY2017. Glucose testing (50.3%, 46.9%, respectively) was most common in both CYs, followed by LDL-C testing (31.2%, 28.5%). Rates of combined glucose and lipid metabolism testing were 30.7% in CY2016 and 26.9% in CY2017. Conclusions: Given the known potential for adverse cardiometabolic effects, rates of metabolic monitoring associated with SGA use in children and adolescents urgently need to be improved. There is a critical need for understanding barriers to routine monitoring, particularly of lipids, and developing interventions to enhance metabolic monitoring.

Antidepressant Medication Prescribing Practices for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the prescribing practices of clinicians for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: This population-based, descriptive study of insured patients (N=54,107) identified people who were 18 years or older, had a claim for MDD, had at least one prescription for an antidepressant medication in 2013, and had continuous insurance coverage during the study period. Prescription claims were evaluated to determine the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medication and most common dose. RESULTS: The three most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications were citalopram (N=11,995, 22.2%), sertraline (N=10,791, 19.9%), and trazodone (N=9,501, 17.6%). The most common daily doses were 20 mg citalopram (N=6,304, 52.6%), 50 mg sertraline (N=4,173, 38.7%), and 100 mg trazodone (N=3,220, 33.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of its kind that provides drug- and dosage-level details to demonstrate that antidepressant prescribing in clinical practice is largely within recommended guidelines.

Helping psychiatry residents cope with patient suicide.

OBJECTIVE: Every clinical specialty has its own high risk patient challenges that threaten to undermine their trainees' professional identity, evolving sense of competence. In psychiatric training, it is patient suicide, an all-too frequently encountered consequence of severe mental illness that may leave the treating resident perplexed, guilt-ridden, and uncertain of their suitability for the profession. This study evaluates a patient suicide training program aimed at educating residents about patient suicide, common reactions, and steps to attenuate emotional distress while facilitating learning. METHODS: The intervention was selected aspects of a patient suicide educational program, "Collateral Damages,"-video vignettes, focused discussions, and a patient-based learning exercise. Pre- and post-survey results were compared to assess both knowledge and attitudes resulting from this educational program. Eight psychiatry residency training programs participated in the study, and 167 of a possible 240 trainees (response rate = 69.58 %) completed pre- and post-surveys. RESULTS: Knowledge of issues related to patient suicide increased after the program. Participants reported increased awareness of the common feelings physicians and trainees often experience after a patient suicide, of recommended "next" steps, available support systems, required documentation, and the role played by risk management. CONCLUSIONS: This patient suicide educational program increased awareness of issues related to patient suicide and shows promise as a useful and long overdue educational program in residency training. It will be useful to learn whether this program enhances patient care or coping with actual patient suicide. Similar programs might be useful for other specialties.

In-vitro interaction of azithromycin and fluoroquinolones against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the combined in-vitro effects of azithromycin plus the fluoroquinolone ofloxacin or lomefloxacin against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. METHODS: Fractional inhibitory (FIC) and fractional bactericidal concentration indices of azithromycin and the fluoroquinolone were determined using a microtiter-checkerboard method. Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas cepacia, Haemophilus influenzae, Xanthomonas maltophilia and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus were studied. Fourteen strains of S. aureus were also studied in time-kill curves with azithromycin (4 mg/L), lomefloxacin (6 mg/L) and the two in combination. RESULTS: No synergism or antagonism was found in inhibitory assays. However, bactericidal assays revealed antagonism with some strains of S. aureus, S. pneumoniae, X. maltophilia, A. calcoaceticus, P. aeruginosa, P. cepacia, K. pneumoniae and E. coli. Kill-curve results with 14 strains of S. aureus showed no antagonism with four strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and antagonism with one strain of MRSA and seven methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). CONCLUSIONS: In-vitro exposure to combinations of azithromycin and a fluoroquinolone does not produce a synergistic effect. Antagonism was found in bactericidal assays against some gram-negative bacteria and MSSA; caution is therefore recommended in the use of macrolides and quinolones against these organisms.