Association of nursing home antipsychotic reduction policies with antipsychotic use in community dwellers with dementia.

BACKGROUND: Antipsychotic and other psychotropic medication use is prevalent among community-dwelling older adults with dementia despite the potential for adverse effects. Two Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiatives, the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care ("the Partnership") and the Five Star Quality Rating System for antipsychotic use reporting, have been successful in reducing antipsychotic use in nursing home residents. We assessed if these initiatives had a spillover effect in antipsychotic and other psychotropic medication use among community dwellers with dementia due to potential overlap in prescribers across settings. METHODS: Among community-dwelling older adults with dementia, we examined psychotropic medication class use (i.e., antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, anticonvulsants/mood stabilizers, antidementia) in 2010-2017 Medicare fee-for-service claims using interrupted time series analyses across three periods ("Pre-Partnership": July 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012; "Post-Partnership": April 1, 2012 to January 31, 2015; "Five Star Quality Rating": February 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017). RESULTS: We included 1,289,401 community dwellers with dementia contributing 26,609,697 person-months. The mean age was 80 years, most were female (70%), approximately 80% were non-Hispanic Whites, 10% were non-Hispanic Blacks, and 5% were Hispanic ethnicity. Antipsychotic use was declining pre-Partnership (ß = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.08, -0.05) and post-Partnership (ß = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.02, -0.01). Post-Five Star Quality Rating, antipsychotic use remained stable with a nearly flat slope (ß = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.01, 0.00). Anticonvulsant and antidepressant use increased and anxiolytic and antidementia medication use decreased among community-dwelling older adults with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: These two CMS policies on antipsychotic use for nursing home residents were not associated with a spillover effect to community-dwelling older adults with dementia. Strategies to monitor the appropriateness of psychotropic medication use may be warranted for community-dwellers with dementia.

Differences in opioid prescriptions by race among U.S. older adults with a hip fracture transitioning to community care.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate pain management can facilitate rehabilitation after a hip fracture as patients transition back to the community setting. Differences in opioid prescribing by race may exist during this critical transition period. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of older adult U.S. Medicare beneficiaries with a hip fracture to examine whether the receipt and dose of opioids differs between Black and White patients as they transitioned back to the community setting. We stratified beneficiaries by whether they received institutional post-acute care (PAC). Outcomes were (1) receipt of an opioid and (2) opioid doses in the first 90 days in the community in milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs; also presented in mg oxycodone). We estimated relative rates and risk differences of opioid receipt and dose differences using Poisson and linear regression models, respectively, using the parametric g-formula to standardize for age and sex. RESULTS: We identified 164,170 older adults with hip fracture (mean age = 82.7 years; 75% female; 72% with PAC; 46% with opioid use after fracture). Overall use of opioids in the community was similar between Black and white beneficiaries. Black beneficiaries had lower average doses in their first 90 days in both total cumulative doses (PAC group: 165 [95% CI -264 to -69] fewer MMEs [-248 mg oxycodone]; no PAC: 167 [95% CI -274 to -62] fewer MMEs [-251 mg oxycodone]) and average MME per days' supply of medication (PAC: -3.0 [-4.6 to -1.4] fewer MMEs per day [-4.5 mg oxycodone]; no PAC: -4.7 [-4.6 to -1.4] fewer MMEs per day [-7.1 mg oxycodone]). In secondary analyses, Asian beneficiaries experienced the greatest differences (e.g., 617-653 fewer cumulative mg oxycodone). CONCLUSION: Racial differences exist in pain management for Medicare beneficiaries after a hip fracture. Future work should examine whether these differences result in disparities in short- and long-term health outcomes.

Initial and Long-Term Prescribing of Opioids and Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Introduction: Limited evidence exists on health system characteristics associated with initial and long-term prescribing of opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA), and if these characteristics differ among individuals based on preoperative NSAID exposure. We identified orthopedic surgeon opioid prescribing practices, hospital characteristics, and regional factors associated with initial and long-term prescribing of opioids and NSAIDs among older adults receiving THA/TKA. Materials and Methods: This observational study included opioid-naïve Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years receiving elective THA/TKA between January 1, 2014 and July 4, 2017. We examined initial (days 1-30 following THA/TKA) and long-term (days 90-180) opioid or NSAID prescribing, stratified by preoperative NSAID exposure. Risk ratios (RRs) for the associations between 10 health system characteristics and case-mix adjusted outcomes were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression models. Results: The study population included 23,351 NSAID-naïve and 10,127 NSAID-prevalent individuals. Increases in standardized measures of orthopedic surgeon opioid prescribing generally decreased the risk of initial NSAID prescribing but increased the risk of long-term opioid prescribing. For example, among NSAID-naïve individuals, the RRs (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for initial NSAID prescribing were 0.95 (0.93-0.97) for 1-2 orthopedic surgeon opioid prescriptions per THA/TKA procedure, 0.94 (0.92-0.97) for 3-4 prescriptions per procedure, and 0.91 (0.89-0.93) for 5+ opioid prescriptions per procedure (reference: <1 opioid prescription per procedure), while the RRs (95% CIs) for long-term opioid prescribing were 1.06 (1.04-1.08), 1.08 (1.06-1.11), and 1.13 (1.11-1.16), respectively. Variation in postoperative analgesic prescribing was observed across U.S. regions. For example, among NSAID-naïve individuals, the RR (95% CIs) for initial opioid prescribing were 0.98 (0.96-1.00) for Region 2 (New York), 1.09 (1.07-1.11) for Region 3 (Philadelphia), 1.07 (1.05-1.10) for Region 4 (Atlanta), 1.03 (1.01-1.05) for Region 5 (Chicago), 1.16 (1.13-1.18) for Region 6 (Dallas), 1.10 (1.08-1.12) for Region 7 (Kansas City), 1.09 (1.06-1.12) for Region 8 (Denver), 1.09 (1.07-1.12) for Region 9 (San Francisco), and 1.11 (1.08-1.13) for Region 10 (Seattle) (reference: Region 1 [Boston]). Hospital characteristics were not meaningfully associated with postoperative analgesic prescribing. The relationships between health system characteristics and postoperative analgesic prescribing were similar for NSAID-naïve and NSAID-prevalent participants. Discussion: Future efforts aiming to improve the use of multimodal analgesia through increased NSAID prescribing and reduced long-term opioid prescribing following THA/TKA could consider targeting orthopedic surgeons with higher standardized opioid prescribing measures. Conclusions: Orthopedic surgeon opioid prescribing measures and U.S. region were the greatest health system level predictors of initial, and long-term, prescribing of opioids and prescription NSAIDs among older Medicare beneficiaries following THA/TKA. These results can inform future studies that examine why variation in analgesic prescribing exists across geographic regions and levels of orthopedic surgeon opioid prescribing.

Implications of using administrative healthcare data to identify risk of motor vehicle crash-related injury: the importance of distinguishing crash from crash-related injury.

BACKGROUND: Administrative healthcare databases, such as Medicare, are increasingly used to identify groups at risk of a crash. However, they only contain information on crash-related injuries, not all crashes. If the driver characteristics associated with crash and crash-related injury differ, conflating the two may result in ineffective or imprecise policy interventions. METHODS: We linked 10 years (2008-2017) of Medicare claims to New Jersey police crash reports to compare the demographics, clinical diagnoses, and prescription drug dispensings for crash-involved drivers ≥ 68 years with a police-reported crash to those with a claim for a crash-related injury. We calculated standardized mean differences to compare characteristics between groups. RESULTS: Crash-involved drivers with a Medicare claim for an injury were more likely than those with a police-reported crash to be female (62.4% vs. 51.8%, standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.30), had more clinical diagnoses including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (13.0% vs. 9.2%, SMD = 0.20) and rheumatoid arthritis/osteoarthritis (69.5% vs 61.4%, SMD = 0.20), and a higher rate of dispensing for opioids (33.8% vs 27.6%, SMD = 0.18) and antiepileptics (12.9% vs 9.6%, SMD = 0.14) prior to the crash. Despite documented inconsistencies in coding practices, findings were robust when restricted to claims indicating the injured party was the driver or was left unspecified. CONCLUSIONS: To identify effective mechanisms for reducing morbidity and mortality from crashes, researchers should consider augmenting administrative datasets with information from police crash reports, and vice versa. When those data are not available, we caution researchers and policymakers against the tendency to conflate crash and crash-related injury when interpreting their findings.

Impact of federal antipsychotic use policy in nursing homes on new diagnoses for approved indications in dementia residents.

BACKGROUND: Federal policies targeting antipsychotic use among nursing home (NH) residents may have increased reporting of diagnoses for approved uses, including schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, and Huntington's Disease (called "exclusionary diagnoses" because they exclude residents from the antipsychotic quality metric). We assessed changes in new exclusionary diagnoses among long-stay NH admissions specifically with dementia following federal policies. METHODS: Retrospective, quarterly, interrupted time-series analysis (2009-2018) of new long-stay NH residents with dementia and no exclusionary diagnoses reported before NH admission. The National Partnership and the addition of facility level antipsychotic use to the Five Star Quality Rating system were key time exposures. Outcome was quarterly facility level predicted percentage of exclusionary diagnoses within 2 years of admission stratified by NH characteristics. RESULTS: For 264,095 long-stay admissions, mean percentage of new exclusionary diagnoses was 2.2% before the Partnership. After the Partnership, there was an unadjusted increase in the percentage over time (slope change, 0.044, p = 0.018), but the percentage never exceeded 2.9%. The Partnership contributed to a one-time decrease in diagnoses in NHs with an intermediate percentage of Black residents (-1.29%, p = 0.004). Before the Partnership, diagnoses were increasing among not-for-profit relative to for-profit NHs (0.044; p = 0.012), but after the Partnership, the pattern reversed. For-profit NHs saw an increase (+0.034, p = 0.002); not-for-profit NHs experienced a decrease (-0.014, p = 0.039). Quality Rating modifications had no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: Exclusionary diagnosis reporting among long-stay NH residents with dementia, the group most at risk from antipsychotics, did not increase in response to federal policies. Evaluation of reasons for the observed increase in exclusionary diagnoses among non-dementia NH residents is warranted along with continued attention to how to incentivize the appropriate use of medications in residents with dementia that is crucial for high-quality NH care.

Disparities in Access to Highly Rated Skilled Nursing Facilities among Medicare Beneficiaries with Opioid Use Disorder.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate disparities in admissions to highly rated skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) between Medicare beneficiaries with and without opioid use disorder (OUD). DESIGN: Nationwide, retrospective observational cohort. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries aged ≥18 years admitted to SNFs following hospitalization during 2016-2020 (n = 30,922 with OUD and n = 137,454 without OUD). METHODS: Data used were 100% Medicare inpatient claims, nursing home administrative databases, and Nursing Home Compare. We identified hospitalized patients with and without OUD and matched them on age, sex, Part D low-income subsidy (LIS), and residential county. We compared the overall and component (quality, staffing, and health inspections) star ratings of SNFs that beneficiaries entered. Beneficiary-level regression models were conducted adjusting for race and ethnicity, Medicare-Medicaid dual status, comorbidity score, hospital length of stay, and state and year fixed effects. RESULTS: The overall study sample had a mean (SD) age of 71.4 (11.4) years, 63.9% were female, and 57.4% had LIS. Among beneficiaries with OUD, 50.3% entered SNFs with above-average (4 or 5) overall rating compared with 51.3% among those without OUD. Distributions of above-average ratings among beneficiaries with and without OUD were as follows: 63.9% vs 62.2% for quality, 32.8% vs 34.9% for health inspections, and 46.2% vs 45.0% for staffing, respectively. Adjusted regression models indicated that beneficiaries with OUD were less likely to be admitted to facilities with above-average overall (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.92), health inspection (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.88-0.93), and staffing (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.89-0.94) ratings compared with beneficiaries without OUD, whereas quality (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.95-1.01) ratings did not differ. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Despite mixed results on component ratings, our findings suggest a concerning disparity in the overall quality of SNFs admitting Medicare beneficiaries with OUD. Enhancing equitable access to high-quality SNF care for individuals with OUD is imperative amid rising demand and legal protections under the American Disabilities Act.

Cholinesterase Inhibitor Initiation Does Not Increase the Risk of Fall-Related Injury in Older Adults Treated with Beta-blockers: a self-controlled case series design.

BACKGROUND: Prescribing cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) concurrently with beta-blockers might cause syncope that increases the risk of fall-related injuries (FRIs). This self-controlled case series study assesses the risk of FRIs associated with initiating ChEIs while receiving beta-blockers among Medicare fee-for-service-insured nursing home (NH) residents in the United States. METHODS: We identified individuals at their first dispensing of a beta-blocker between 2016 and 2019 after at least 45 days of long-stay NH residency. Individuals were followed from the first day of beta-blocker use until beta-blocker discontinuation, Medicare disenrollment, death, or study end. ChEI initiation was classified as the first 60 days of new ChEI dispensing after 45 days of no ChEI exposure. FRIs were assessed during beta-blocker use periods and age-adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR) for ChEI-initiation days versus other days were calculated using conditional Poisson regression models. Analyses were weighted for event-dependent observation periods due to the high risk of mortality after an FRI in this population. Subgroup analyses were conducted for several key time-fixed variables, including sex, age, ChEI type, ChEI dose, beta-blocker selectivity and beta-blocker dose. RESULTS: The FRI risk after ChEI initiation was not elevated among 837 residents who experienced an FRI while using beta-blockers (IRR=0.90 [95%CLs 0.71, 1.15]). Analyses of ChEI initiation in several subgroups yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: There was no substantial difference in FRI risk when initiating ChEIs among older NH residents receiving beta-blocker therapy versus periods without ChEI initiation, suggesting that there is no clinically significant pharmacodynamic drug-drug interaction between beta-blockers and ChEIs.

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Use in Nursing Home Residents With Atrial Fibrillation.

This cross-sectional study evaluates the use of oral anticoagulants and antiplatelets, including aspirin, among nursing home residents with atrial fibrillation.

Non-benzodiazepine Hypnotics and Police-Reported Motor Vehicle Crash Risk among Older Adults: A Sequential Target Trial Emulation.

Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics ( "Z-drugs") are prescribed for insomnia, but might increase risk of motor vehicle crash (MVC) among older adults through prolonged drowsiness and delayed reaction times. We estimated the effect of initiating Z-drug treatment on the 12-week risk of MVC in a sequential target trial emulation. After linking New Jersey driver licensing and police-reported MVC data to Medicare claims, we emulated a new target trial each week (July 1, 2007 - October 7, 2017) in which Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries were classified as Z-drug-treated or untreated at baseline and followed for an MVC. We used inverse probability of treatment and censoring weighted pooled logistic regression models to estimate risk ratios (RR) and risk differences with 95% bootstrap confidence limits (CLs). There were 257,554 person-trials, of which 103,371 were Z-drug-treated and 154,183 untreated, giving rise to 976 and 1,249 MVCs, respectively. The intention-to-treat RR was 1.06 (95%CLs 0.95, 1.16). For the per-protocol estimand, there were 800 MVCs and 1,241 MVCs among treated and untreated person-trials, respectively, suggesting a reduced MVC risk (RR 0.83 [95%CLs 0.74, 0.92]) with sustained Z-drug treatment. Z-drugs should be prescribed to older patients judiciously but not withheld entirely over concerns about MVC risk.

Use of electronic health record data to examine administrations of pro re nata analgesics during hip fracture post-acute care.

PURPOSE: Medications prescribed to older adults in US skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and administrations of pro re nata (PRN) "as needed" medications are unobservable in Medicare insurance claims. There is an ongoing deficit in our understanding of medication use during post-acute care. Using SNF electronic health record (EHR) datasets, including medication orders and barcode medication administration records, we described patterns of PRN analgesic prescribing and administrations among SNF residents with hip fracture. METHODS: Eligible participants resided in SNFs owned by 11 chains, had a diagnosis of hip fracture between January 1, 2018 to August 2, 2021, and received at least one administration of an analgesic medication in the 100 days after the hip fracture. We described the scheduling of analgesics, the proportion of available PRN doses administered, and the proportion of days with at least one PRN analgesic administration. RESULTS: Among 24 038 residents, 57.3% had orders for PRN acetaminophen, 67.4% PRN opioids, 4.2% PRN non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and 18.6% PRN combination products. The median proportion of available PRN doses administered per drug was 3%-50% and the median proportion of days where one or more doses of an ordered PRN analgesic was administered was 25%-75%. Results differed by analgesic class and the number of administrations ordered per day. CONCLUSIONS: EHRs can be leveraged to ascertain precise analgesic exposures during SNF stays. Future pharmacoepidemiology studies should consider linking SNF EHRs to insurance claims to construct a longitudinal history of medication use and healthcare utilization prior to and during episodes of SNF care.

Risk Analysis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Infants in the United States by Birth Month.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among US infants. A child's calendar birth month determines their age at first exposure(s) to RSV. We estimated birth month-specific risk of medically attended (MA) RSV lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) among infants during their first RSV season and first year of life (FYOL). METHODS: We analyzed infants born in the USA between July 2016 and February 2020 using three insurance claims databases (two commercial, one Medicaid). We classified infants' first MA RSV LRTI episode by the highest level of care incurred (outpatient, emergency department, or inpatient), employing specific and sensitive diagnostic coding algorithms to define index RSV diagnoses. In our main analysis, we focused on infants' first RSV season. In our secondary analysis, we compared the risk of MA RSV LRTI during infants' first RSV season to that of their FYOL. RESULTS: Infants born from May through September generally had the highest risk of first-season MA RSV LRTI-approximately 6-10% under the specific RSV index diagnosis definition and 16-26% under the sensitive. Infants born between October and December had the highest risk of RSV-related hospitalization during their first season. The proportion of MA RSV LRTI events classified as inpatient ranged from 9% to 54% (specific) and 5% to 33% (sensitive) across birth month and comorbidity group. Through the FYOL, the overall risk of MA RSV LRTI is comparable across birth months within each claims database (6-11% under the specific definition, 17-30% under the sensitive), with additional cases progressing to care at outpatient or ED settings. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support recent national recommendations for the use of nirsevimab in the USA. For infants born at the tail end of an RSV season who do not receive nirsevimab, a dose administered prior to the onset of their second RSV season could reduce the incidence of outpatient- and ED-related events.

Comparative safety and cardiovascular effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in nursing homes.

AIM: Studies examining the safety and effectiveness of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) versus glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) among community-dwelling adults may not generalize to nursing home (NH) residents, who are typically older and more multimorbid. We compared the safety and cardiovascular effectiveness of SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs among US NH residents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible individuals were aged ≥66 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus and initiated an SGLT2i or GLP-1RA in an NH between 2013 and 2018. Safety outcomes included fall-related injuries, hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), urinary tract infection or genital infection, and acute kidney injury in the year following treatment initiation. Cardiovascular effectiveness outcomes included death, major adverse cardiovascular events and hospitalization for heart failure. Per-protocol adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using stabilized inverse probability of treatment and censoring weighted cause-specific hazard regression models accounting for 127 covariates. RESULTS: The study population included 7710 residents (31.08% SGLT2i, 68.92% GLP-1RA). Compared with GLP-1RA initiators, SGLT2i initiators had higher rates of DKA (HR 1.95, 95% confidence limits 1.27, 2.99) and death (HR 1.18, 95% confidence limits 1.02, 1.36). Rates of urinary tract infection or genital infection, acute kidney injury, major adverse cardiovascular events, and heart failure were also elevated, while rates of fall-related injuries and hypoglycaemia were reduced, but all estimates were imprecise and highly compatible with no difference. CONCLUSIONS: SGLT2is do not have superior, and may have inferior, effectiveness compared with GLP-1RAs for cardiovascular and mortality outcomes in NH residents. Residents initiating SGLT2is should be monitored closely for DKA.

COVID-19 Vaccines: Moderna And Pfizer-BioNTech Use Varied By Urban, Rural Counties.

We investigated county-level variation in mRNA COVID-19 vaccine use among Medicare beneficiaries throughout the United States. There was greater use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines than Moderna vaccines in urban areas for first and booster doses.

Comparative safety of tramadol and other opioids following total hip and knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Tramadol is increasingly used to treat acute postoperative pain among older adults following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA). However, tramadol has a complex pharmacology and may be no safer than full opioid agonists. We compared the safety of tramadol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone among opioid-naïve older adults following elective THA/TKA. METHODS: This retrospective cohort included Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries ≥ 65 years with elective THA/TKA between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2015, 12 months of continuous Parts A and B enrollment, 6 months of continuous Part D enrollment, and no opioid use in the 6 months prior to THA/TKA. Participants initiated single-opioid therapy with tramadol, oxycodone, or hydrocodone within 7 days of discharge from THA/TKA hospitalization, regardless of concurrently administered nonopioid analgesics. Outcomes of interest included all-cause hospitalizations or emergency department visits (serious adverse events (SAEs)) and a composite of 10 surgical- and opioid-related SAEs within 90-days of THA/TKA. The intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) hazard ratios (HRs) for tramadol versus other opioids were estimated using inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted pooled logistic regression models. RESULTS: The study population included 2,697 tramadol, 11,407 oxycodone, and 14,665 hydrocodone initiators. Compared to oxycodone, tramadol increased the rate of all-cause SAEs in ITT analyses only (ITT HR 1.19, 95%CLs, 1.02, 1.41; PP HR 1.05, 95%CLs, 0.86, 1.29). Rates of composite SAEs were not significant across comparisons. Compared to hydrocodone, tramadol increased the rate of all-cause SAEs in the ITT and PP analyses (ITT HR 1.40, 95%CLs, 1.10, 1.76; PP HR 1.34, 95%CLs, 1.03, 1.75), but rates of composite SAEs were not significant across comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative tramadol was associated with increased rates of all-cause SAEs, but not composite SAEs, compared to oxycodone and hydrocodone. Tramadol does not appear to have a superior safety profile and should not be preferentially prescribed to opioid-naïve older adults following THA/TKA.

Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns for Urinary Tract Infections and Pneumonia by Prescriber Type and Specialty in Nursing Home Care, 2016-2018.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether differences in antibiotic prescribing practices by prescriber type and specialization in nursing home (NH) care exist for urinary tract infection (UTI) and pneumonia. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This national study included antibiotic dispensings to traditional Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years with UTI or pneumonia infections residing long-term (≥100 days) in US NHs between 2016 and 2018. METHODS: Minimum Data Set assessment data were linked to Medicare data [Part D prescription drug, inpatient hospital (MedPAR), prescriber characteristics, and enrollment]. We compared antibiotic prescribing patterns by prescriber type [physician vs advanced practice practitioner (AP)] and NH specialization (≥90% vs <90% of all associated medication dispensings to NH residents). Antibiotic dispensing measures included the total number of dispensings and duration of therapy (median number of days supplied) by antibiotic class. RESULTS: There were 264,735 antibiotic dispensings prescribed by 32,437 prescribers for 140,360 residents in 14,035 NHs. NH specialists were less likely to prescribe fluoroquinolones for UTI (22.9% NH specialist physician, 23.9% non-NH specialist physician, 21.3% NH specialist AP, 24.2% non-NH specialist AP), but more likely to prescribe fluoroquinolones for pneumonia (38.9%, 37.8%, 38.8%, 37.3%, respectively). Over time, NH specialists reduced fluoroquinolone prescribing for pneumonia to a greater extent than non-NH specialists. The duration of therapy was similar across prescriber groups for UTI, but longer among non-NH specialist APs for several antibiotic classes for pneumonia, including tetracyclines, glycopeptides and lipoglycopeptides, and metronidazole. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: There were differences in antibiotic prescribing patterns by prescriber type and specialization in NH care between 2016 and 2018. Understanding how antibiotic prescribing differs based on prescriber characteristics is essential to inform antibiotic stewardship efforts. Tailoring antibiotic stewardship efforts to prescribers by NH specialization is rational given differences in antibiotic prescribing patterns based on NH specialization.

COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine Coadministration Among Older U.S. Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Coadministering COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is recommended by public health authorities and intended to improve uptake and convenience; however, the extent of vaccine coadministration is largely unknown. Investigations into COVID-19 and influenza vaccine coadministration are needed to describe compliance with newer recommendations and to identify potential gaps in the implementation of coadministration. METHODS: A descriptive, repeated cross-sectional study between September 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021 (Period 1) and September 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022 (Period 2) was conducted. This study included community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries ≥ 66 years who received an mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccine in Periods 1 and 2. The outcome was an influenza vaccine administered on the same day as the COVID-19 vaccine. Adjusted ORs and 99% CIs were estimated using logistic regression to describe the association between beneficiaries' characteristics and vaccine coadministration. Statistical analysis was performed in 2023. RESULTS: Among beneficiaries who received a COVID-19 vaccine, 78.8% in Period 1 (N=6,292,777) and 89.1% in Period 2 (N=4,757,501), received an influenza vaccine at some point during the study period (i.e., before, after, or on the same day as their COVID-19 vaccine), though rates were lower in non-White and rural individuals. Vaccine coadministration increased from 11.1% to 36.5% between periods. Beneficiaries with dementia (aORPeriod 2=1.31; 99%CI=1.29-1.32) and in rural counties (aORPeriod 2=1.19; 99%CI=1.17-1.20) were more likely to receive coadministered vaccines, while those with cancer (aORPeriod 2=0.90; 99%CI=0.89-0.91) were less likely. CONCLUSIONS: Among Medicare beneficiaries vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza vaccination was high, but coadministration of the 2 vaccines was low. Future work should explore which factors explain variation in the decision to receive coadministered vaccines.

Early Mortality After the First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccination: A Target Trial Emulation.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy persists alongside concerns about the safety of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. We aimed to examine the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on risk of death among US veterans. METHODS: We conducted a target trial emulation to estimate and compare risk of death up to 60 days under two COVID-19 vaccination strategies: vaccination within 7 days of enrollment versus no vaccination through follow-up. The study cohort included individuals aged ≥18 years enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration system and eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination according to guideline recommendations from 1 March 2021 through 1 July 2021. The outcomes of interest included deaths from any cause and excluding a COVID-19 diagnosis. Observations were cloned to both treatment strategies, censored, and weighted to estimate per-protocol effects. RESULTS: We included 3 158 507 veterans. Under the vaccination strategy, 364 993 received vaccine within 7 days. At 60 days, there were 156 deaths per 100 000 veterans under the vaccination strategy versus 185 deaths under the no vaccination strategy, corresponding to an absolute risk difference of -25.9 (95% confidence limit [CL], -59.5 to 2.7) and relative risk of 0.86 (95% CL, .7 to 1.0). When those with a COVID-19 infection in the first 60 days were censored, the absolute risk difference was -20.6 (95% CL, -53.4 to 16.0) with a relative risk of 0.88 (95% CL, .7 to 1.1). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination against COVID-19 was associated with a lower but not statistically significantly different risk of death in the first 60 days. These results agree with prior scientific knowledge suggesting vaccination is safe with the potential for substantial health benefits.

Sliding Scale Insulin Use in Nursing Homes Before and After Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize sliding-scale insulin (SSI) use in US nursing homes (NHs) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 129,829 US NH residents on SSI (01/2018-06/2022) across 12 NH chains with a common electronic health record system. METHODS: Among all residents with at least 1 administration of SSI documented in the electronic medication administration record, we described resident demographics, frequency of SSI monotherapy vs combination therapy with another diabetes medication, number of daily capillary blood glucose readings ("fingersticks"), and hypoglycemia (capillary blood glucose <70 mg/dL) and hyperglycemia after first SSI use. We used interrupted time series analysis (ITS) with segmented linear regression models to examine whether the monthly prevalence of SSI use changed at and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020). RESULTS: There were 129,829 unique NH residents with SSI use [51% women, average age 71.3 (SD 11.7) years]. Of these, 36% of residents received SSI monotherapy and 64% received SSI combination therapy. Residents on SSI received an average of 3.96 (SD 1.41) fingersticks per day. Overall, 26% of SSI users experienced a hypoglycemic event within 30 days of the first SSI dose. The ITS analysis identified a step decrease in the rate of SSI use following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (43 fewer SSI users per 1000 insulin users) but no change in overall trend over time from before the onset of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: SSI use and fingerstick burden are high in NH residents. Hypoglycemia occurred commonly among residents on SSI. Future research should compare the safety and effectiveness of SSI monotherapy vs other diabetes medication regimens to guide person-centered prescribing decisions in NHs.