On Medicare and live in the South? Make sure you’re not taking a high-risk drug.

Senior Medicare beneficiaries in the Southeast are more likely to be taking at least one high-risk drug.
Source: NPR (Dany Qato and Amal Trivedi/Alpert Medical School, Brown University)

As I mentioned in my last post, recent findings from Express Scripts show that Medicare providers in New York, New Jersey, and several southern states are less likely to prescribe lower-cost generic drugs then their counterparts in Midwestern states.

Now a new study from the Alpert Medical School at Brown University finds that more than 20 percent of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan are taking at least one high-risk medication. And beneficiaries who live in parts of the South are even more apt to be prescribed high-risk medications. In fact, in many parts of the South – especially the Southeast – more than one-third of seniors are taking drugs that, according to Medicare guidelines, are considered high risk for people age 65 and older.

For example, more than 38 percent of Medicare Advantage enrollees in Albany, Georgia, were prescribed at least one risky drug, compared to 10 percent in Mason City, Iowa, the area with the lowest rate. Beneficiaries prescribed risky drugs were also more likely to be poor, white, and female.

So why are Southerners more likely to be prescribed risky meds? According to the authors of the study, it could be that patients are asking their doctors for them. Or it could be that doctors in these regions are more apt to stick with old prescribing habits. Neither one of these reasons is a valid excuse.

Why are some drugs classifed as risky?

Certain medications are associated with a high risk of side effects and drug toxicity in the senior population, and pose a concern for patient safety. Since 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has required all Medicare Advantage plans to report prescribing rates of high-risk medications.

Many drugs are classified as risky because they stay in the body longer, increasing the risk of falls and fractures. Others are classified as drugs to be avoided in people 65 years or older because they are simply not effective enough to be used on a regular basis.

Risky drugs for seniors include amphetamines, barbiturates, muscle relaxants, and narcotics. Old-style sedating antihistamines and medications for depression and anxiety (like long-acting diazepam or Valium®) are also risky, as they can cause sleep apnea or cardiac arrest.

What drugs should be avoided?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a list of high-risk medications to be avoided in patients 65 years and older. Doctors should have this information, but patients and caregivers also need to be aware of this list. The authors of the study — a pharmacist and a medical doctor — suggest that people talk with their doctors about risky medications and make an appointment with their pharmacist to review all their medications to find out if any should be stopped or replaced with a less risky drug.

You should also check the star ratings of your Medicare plan (Part D or MA-PD) if you have prescription drug coverage. CMS awards lower star ratings to Medicare plans if a certain percentage of the plan’s members age 65 and older receive a medication that puts the patient at high risk for an adverse drug-related event, such as a fall or cardiac event. When reviewing Medicare plans, you should ask how the plan scored under “Drug pricing and patient safety.” If you live in the South and your plan has a low star rating in this category, you should definitely be on the alert for prescriptions for high-risk medications.