Dataset Information

Racial and Ethnic Differences in ADHD Treatment Quality Among Medicaid-Enrolled Youth.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We estimated racial/ethnic differences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) care quality and treatment continuity among Medicaid-enrolled children.

Methods

Using Medicaid data from 9 states (2008 to 2011), we identified 172?322 youth (age 6 to 12) initiating ADHD medication. Outcome measures included: (1) adequate follow-up care in the (a) initiation and (b) continuation and maintenance (C&M) treatment phases; (2) combined treatment with medication and psychotherapy (versus medication alone); (3) medication discontinuation; and (4) treatment disengagement (ie, discontinued medication and received no psychotherapy). Logistic regressions controlled for confounding measures.

Results

Among those initiating medication, three-fifths received adequate follow-up care in the initiation and C&M phases, and under two-fifths received combined treatment. Compared with whites, African American youth were less likely to receive adequate follow-up in either phase (P < .05), whereas Hispanic youth were more likely to receive adequate follow-up in the C&M phase (P < .001). African American and Hispanic youth were more likely than whites to receive combined treatment (P < .05). Over three-fifths discontinued medication, and over four-tenths disengaged from treatment. Compared with whites, African American and Hispanic children were 22.4% and 16.7% points more likely to discontinue medication, and 13.1% and 9.4% points more likely to disengage from treatment, respectively (P < .001).

Conclusions

Care quality for Medicaid-enrolled youth initiating ADHD medication is poor, and racial/ethnic differences in these measures are mixed. The most important disparities occur in the higher rates of medication discontinuation among minorities, which translate into higher rates of treatment disengagement because most youth discontinuing medication receive no psychotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Cummings JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5470500 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Racial and Ethnic Differences in ADHD Treatment Quality Among Medicaid-Enrolled Youth.

Cummings Janet R JR Ji Xu X Allen Lindsay L Lally Cathy C Druss Benjamin G BG

Pediatrics 20170516 6

<h4>Objectives</h4>We estimated racial/ethnic differences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) care quality and treatment continuity among Medicaid-enrolled children.<h4>Methods</h4>Using Medicaid data from 9 states (2008 to 2011), we identified 172 322 youth (age 6 to 12) initiating ADHD medication. Outcome measures included: (1) adequate follow-up care in the (a) initiation and (b) continuation and maintenance (C&M) treatment phases; (2) combined treatment with medication and psy ...[more]

PMID: 28562259

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Project description:BackgroundStudies using local samples suggest that racial minorities anticipate a greater preference for life-sustaining treatment when faced with a terminal illness. These studies are limited by size, representation, and insufficient exploration of sociocultural covariables.ObjectiveTo explore racial and ethnic differences in concerns and preferences for medical treatment at the end of life in a national sample, adjusting for sociocultural covariables.DesignDual-language (English/Spanish), mixed-mode (telephone/mail) survey.ParticipantsA total of 2,847 of 4,610 eligible community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older on July 1, 2003 (62% response).MeasurementsDemographics, education, financial strain, health status, social networks, perceptions of health-care access, quality, and the effectiveness of mechanical ventilation (MV), and concerns and preferences for medical care in the event the respondent had a serious illness and less than 1 year to live.ResultsRespondents included 85% non-Hispanic whites, 4.6% Hispanics, 6.3% blacks, and 4.2% "other" race/ethnicity. More blacks (18%) and Hispanics (15%) than whites (8%) want to die in the hospital; more blacks (28%) and Hispanics (21.2%) than whites (15%) want life-prolonging drugs that make them feel worse all the time; fewer blacks (49%) and Hispanics (57%) than whites (74%) want potentially life-shortening palliative drugs, and more blacks (24%, 36%) and Hispanics (22%, 29%) than whites (13%, 21%) want MV for life extension of 1 week or 1 month, respectively. In multivariable analyses, sociodemographic variables, preference for specialists, and an overly optimistic belief in the effectiveness of MV explained some of the greater preferences for life-sustaining drugs and mechanical ventilation among non-whites. Black race remained an independent predictor of concern about receiving too much treatment [adjusted OR = 2.0 (1.5-2.7)], preference for dying in a hospital [AOR = 2.3 (1.6-3.2)], receiving life-prolonging drugs [1.9 (1.4-2.6)], MV for 1 week [2.3 (1.6-3.3)] or 1 month's [2.1 (1.6-2.9)] life extension, and a preference not to take potentially life-shortening palliative drugs [0.4 (0.3-0.5)]. Hispanic ethnicity remained an independent predictor of preference for dying in the hospital [2.2 (1.3-4.0)] and against potentially life-shortening palliative drugs [0.5 (0.3-0.7)].ConclusionsGreater preference for intensive treatment near the end of life among minority elders is not explained fully by confounding sociocultural variables. Still, most Medicare beneficiaries in all race/ethnic groups prefer not to die in the hospital, to receive life-prolonging drugs that make them feel worse all the time, or to receive MV.

Dataset Information

Racial and Ethnic Differences in ADHD Treatment Quality Among Medicaid-Enrolled Youth.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Racial and Ethnic Differences in ADHD Treatment Quality Among Medicaid-Enrolled Youth.

Similar Datasets

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