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Prescribing high-risk medications for your older adult patients

December 30, 2015

In the December 2015 edition of Partners in Health UpdateSM, we provided information about high-risk medications (HRM) and the increased potential for side effects in adults ages 65 and older. In this edition, we want to remind you that prior authorization may be required for some HRMs.

Initially derived from the American Geriatric Society?s ?Beer?s Criteria,? HRMs have been proven to put older patients at a higher risk for adverse drug events. For example, medications such as zolpidem, amitriptyline, estrogens, and glyburide place patients at a higher risk for drug-related toxicities and increased risk for falls and fractures.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continue to monitor utilization of medications considered to be high-risk in older adults. Careful and appropriate use of drugs in the senior population is a critical quality-of-care issue. For these reasons, we suggest that you use caution when prescribing one or more drugs on the HRM list to patients ages 65 and older.

Go here to view the complete list of HRMs.

Prior authorization requirement

Based on the risks of some HRMs, you may encounter the need to obtain prior authorization. Review the FutureScripts® Select Drug Formulary Guide to determine which HRMs require prior authorization (i.e., those with ?PA? indicated in the Additional Requirements column).

If the medication requires prior authorization, you can obtain the proper form.


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