Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Medications and pharmacy services are critical to post-acute care (PAC) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), yet little is known about the long-term care (LTC) pharmacies that provide them. We estimated the market shares of LTC pharmacies and how SNFs differed between pharmacies. This cross-sectional study used data from SNFs that provided PAC services in Rhode Island (RI) in 2019. We applied the parametric g-formula to compare SNF pharmacy-related deficiencies and medication use measures between LTC pharmacies while standardizing for SNF membership in a chain and number of beds. Among 75 SNFs, 68 (91%) were served by either Omnicare (n = 32, 43%) or PharMerica (n = 36, 48%), and 7 (9%) by other LTC pharmacies. After covariate adjustment, PharMerica SNFs had the lowest prevalences of any pharmacy-related deficiency (PharMerica, 63.2%; Omnicare, 80.2%; other LTC pharmacy, 69.1%) and antianxiety medication use (PharMerica, 9.7%; Omnicare, 13.6%; other LTC pharmacy, 13.5%), but estimates were imprecise. The RI market is highly concentrated between LTC pharmacies. If similarly high LTC pharmacy market concentration exists nationally, there is enormous promise for efficiently delivering interventions to improve medication management in SNFs. However, it may also present a risk of harm if policies do not maintain sufficient competition and innovation is stifled.
Source: Journal of Aging & Social Policy
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Opioid use in post-acute hip fracture care: prescribing patterns, effectiveness, and safety, GAPcare II: The Geriatric Acute & Post-acute Care Coordination Program for Fall Prevention in the Emergency Department, Medications and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Crashes in Older Adults, Clinically Significant Drug Interactions among Nursing Home Residents with ADRD
OpenAlex ID: W4322004661