Continuity of medication management in Medicaid patients with chronic comorbid conditions: An examination by mental health status

Patients with serious mental illness (SMI) often have comorbid cardiometabolic conditions (CMCs) that may increase the number of prescribers involved in treatment. This study examined whether patients with SMI (depression and schizophrenia) and comorbid CMCs experience greater discontinuity of prescribing than patients with CMCs alone

Metformin for Weight Loss and Metabolic Control in Overweight Outpatients With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

The purpose of this study was to determine whether metformin promotes weight loss in overweight out-patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

Effects of switching from olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone to aripiprazole on 10-year coronary heart disease risk and metabolic syndrome status: Results from a randomized controlled trial

This study examined the clinical significance of switching from olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone to aripiprazole by examining changes in predicted risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and metabolic syndrome status. FRS estimates 10-year risk of “hard” coronary heart disease (CHD) outcomes (myocardial infarction and coronary death) while metabolic syndrome is associated with increased risk of CVD, stroke, and diabetes mellitus

Effectiveness of Paliperidone Palmitate vs Haloperidol Decanoate for Maintenance Treatment of Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are used to reduce medication non-adherence and subsequent relapse in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The relative effectiveness of LAI versions of second-generation (atypical) and older antipsychotics has not been assessed

Metformin for Weight Loss and Metabolic Control in Overweight Outpatients With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether metformin promotes weight loss in overweight out-patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: In a double-blind study, 148 clinically stable, overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥27) outpatients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomly assigned to receive 16 weeks of metformin or placebo. Metformin was titrated up to 1,000 mg twice daily, as tolerated. All patients continued to receive their prestudy medications, and all received weekly diet and exercise counseling. The primary outcome measure was change in body weight from baseline to week 16. RESULTS: Fifty-eight (77.3%) patients who received metformin and 58 (81.7%) who received placebo completed 16 weeks of treatment. Mean change in body weight was −3.0 kg (95% CI=−4.0 to −2.0) for the metformin group and −1.0 kg (95% CI= −2.0 to 0.0) for the placebo group, with a between-group difference of −2.0 kg (95% CI=−3.4 to −0.6). Metformin also demonstrated a significant between-group advantage for BMI (−0.7; 95% CI=−1.1 to −0.2), triglyceride level (−20.2 mg/dL; 95% CI=−39.2 to −1.3), and hemoglobin A(1c) level (−0.07%; 95% CI=−0.14 to −0.004). Metformin-associated side effects were mostly gastrointestinal and generally transient, and they rarely led to treatment discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin was modestly effective in reducing weight and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in clinically stable, overweight outpatients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder over 16 weeks. A significant time-by-treatment interaction suggests that benefits of metformin may continue to accrue with longer treatment. Metformin may have an important role in diminishing the adverse consequences of obesity and metabolic impairments in patients with schizophrenia

Testing the organizational theory of innovation implementation effectiveness in a community pharmacy medication management program: a hurdle regression analysis

Abstract Background Many state Medicaid programs are implementing pharmacist-led medication management programs to improve outcomes for high-risk beneficiaries. There are a limited number of studies examining implementation of these programs, making it difficult to assess why program outcomes might vary across organizations. To address this, we tested the applicability of the organizational theory of innovation implementation effectiveness to examine implementation of a community pharmacy Medicaid medication management program. Methods We used a hurdle regression model to examine whether organizational determinants, such as implementation climate and innovation-values fit, were associated with effective implementation. We defined effective implementation in two ways: implementation versus non-implementation and program reach (i.e., the proportion of the target population that received the intervention). Data sources included an implementation survey administered to participating community pharmacies and administrative data. Results The findings suggest that implementation climate is positively and significantly associated with implementation versus non-implementation (AME = 2.65, p < 0.001) and with program reach (AME = 5.05, p = 0.001). Similarly, the results suggest that innovation-values fit is positively and significantly associated with implementation (AME = 2.17, p = 0.037) and program reach (AME = 11.79, p < 0.001). Some structural characteristics, such as having a clinical pharmacist on staff, were significant predictors of implementation and program reach whereas other characteristics, such as pharmacy type or prescription volume, were not. Conclusions Our study supported the use of the organizational theory of innovation implementation effectiveness to identify organizational determinants that are associated with effective implementation (e.g., implementation climate and innovation-values fit). Unlike broader environmental factors or structural characteristics (e.g., pharmacy type), implementation climate and innovation-values fit are modifiable factors and can be targeted through intervention—a finding that is important for community pharmacy practice. Additional research is needed to determine what implementation strategies can be used by community pharmacy leaders and practitioners to develop a positive implementation climate and innovation-values fit for medication management programs