In the Spring 2011, NC Medicaid developed a policy titled Off Label Antipsychotic Monitoring in Children through Age 17 due to well-documented safety considerations and limited efficacy information on the use of antipsychotic agents in children. The prescribing of antipsychotics for children with mental health disorders has dramatically increased over the last ten years. However the benefits of these medications do not come without serious risk, both metabolic and neurological, especially with chronic use.
Community Care of North Carolina has partnered with NC Medicaid to help establish an online registry called A+KIDS (Antipsychotics – Keeping it Documented for Safety), designed to increase the safety and efficacy of antipsychotics prescribed to NC Medicaid children through baseline and follow-up monitoring. Targeted users of this registry include prescribing psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists, and family practitioners. A+ KIDS aims to improve the use of evidence-based recommendations for the monitoring of these adverse side effects, leading to improved care quality for North Carolina’s children, and lower costs for the state.
The requirement of safety monitoring documentation in the registry by the prescriber occurs when:
- The antipsychotic is prescribed for an indication that is not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
- The antipsychotic is prescribed at a higher dosage than approved for an indication by the federal Food and Drug Administration.
- The prescribed antipsychotic will result in the concomitant use of two or more antipsychotic agents
For complete information on the A+KIDS program, visit the Document for Safety website