Potentially Inappropriate Medications for Patients With Dementia

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Dementia Care
Country
United States of America
Publishing Organisation
The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) - Medication Management in Older Adults
Type of Quality Indicator
Outcome
IOM Quality Dimension
Safety
Domain
Interventions to Promote Cognition, Independence and Wellbeing

Defining Attributes

Definition

The percentage of older adults with diagnosed dementia who had a dispensed prescription for antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, tricyclic antidepressants or anticholinergic agent. This is reported as Potentially Harmful Drug-Disease Interactions in Older Adults, which assesses adults 65 years of age and older who have a specific disease or condition (chronic kidney disease, dementia, history of falls) and were dispensed a prescription for a medication that could exacerbate it.

Numerator

Number of older adults with diagnosed dementia who had a dispensed prescription for antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics, tricyclic antidepressants or anticholinergic agent.

Denominator

Number of older adults with diagnosed dementia.

Exclusions
Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

None

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) collects HEDIS data from health plans and other health care organisations. NCQA collects Medicare and Exchange data on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), collects Medicaid HEDIS data on behalf of state agencies and collects commercial data on behalf of states and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Plans and organisations that submit the HOQ will have automatic access to the Interactive Data Submission System (IDSS) that NCQA uses to collect non-survey HEDIS data.

Frequency of Data Collection
Monthly
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
30
Reporting Methods

Online on web.archive.org/web/20240805090315/https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/medication-management-in-older-adults/ Data also included NCQA's Health Plan Report Card, Quality Compass®, Health Plan Ratings and a variety of state and local report cards to inform patients, purchasers, providers and plans about the performance of our local and national health care systems. HEDIS data are used to calculate national performance statistics and benchmarks, and to set standards for measures included in NCQA's Accreditation program.

Reporting Frequency
Annually
Reporting Frequency in Days
365
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Technical Specifications
Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
Yes
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025