Observational studyJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2021
Benzodiazepine Use among Medicare, Commercially Insured, and Veteran Older Adults, 2013-2017.
Observational study in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pharmacist-Led Taper with Brief Mindfulness-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Benzodiazepine Deprescribing in Older Adults: A Pilot Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Trial
- Pilot RCT Testing A Mailing About Sleeping Pills and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Impact on Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs.Clinical gerontologistTrial
- A Pharmacist Consultant Service for Deprescribing Opioids and Benzodiazepines in Older Adults: A Cluster Randomized Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Benzodiazepine prescribing patterns among Medicare providers, 2017 to 2023.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Benzodiazepine-related polysubstance use and hospital resource utilization in older trauma patients: a retrospective multicenter study.Trauma surgery & acute care open · 2026Article
- Development of a Brief Mindfulness-Informed Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Intervention to Pair With Pharmacist-Led Benzodiazepine Tapering for Older Adults: The CSTARS Intervention.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2025Article
- Potentially Inappropriate Medications, Frailty, and Outcomes in Patients With Cancer Managed in a National Health Care System.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2025Article
- Characteristics of incident benzodiazepine recipients among US veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists · 2025Observational
- Does Physicians' Clinical Competence, Communication Ability, or Cultural Background Influence Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs Among Older Adults With Insomnia?Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2024Article
- Benzodiazepine Utilization in Ischemic Stroke Survivors: Analyzing Initial Excess Supply and Longitudinal Trends.Stroke · 2024Article
- Evaluation of a benzodiazepine deprescribing quality improvement initiative for older adults in primary care.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2024Article
- Relationship between facility number of clinicians and prescribing intensity of psychotropic medications, opioids, and antibiotics in ambulatory practice.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Examining Adult Patients' Success with Discontinuing Long-term Benzodiazepine Use: a Qualitative Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Article
- Evaluation of Antipsychotic Reduction Efforts in Patients With Dementia in Veterans Health Administration Nursing Homes.The American journal of psychiatry · 2022Article
- Opioid and CNS-Depressant Medication Prescribing among Older Adults Enrolled in Medicare Advantage Versus Fee-for-Service Medicare.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2022Article
- Benzodiazepine Prescribing from VA and Medicare to Dually Enrolled Older Veterans: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Article
- Early prescribing outcomes after exporting the EQUIPPED medication safety improvement programme.BMJ open quality · 2021Article
- Strategies Associated With Reducing Benzodiazepine Prescribing to Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study.Annals of family medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesBenzodiazepines (BZDs) are widely prescribed to older adults. Although prescribing has declined in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medicare introduced BZD coverage in 2013. It is unknown whether declines in the VA have been widespread among older adults in the United States.
designObservational study in traditional fee-for-service Medicare, commercial insurance, and the VA.
settingUnited States, 2013-2017.
participantsAdults aged 55 and older in traditional Medicare (234,290,693 person-months), commercial insurance (337,827,125 person-months), and the VA (256,590,369 person-months). MEASUREMENTS: (1) Change in BZD and BZD-opioid co-prescribing modeled by Poisson regression over time; and (2) standardized ratios of BZD and BZD-opioid co-prescribing, using Medicare as the reference.
resultsFrom April 2013 to December 2017, the monthly percentage of adults aged 55 and older who received BZDs fell from 10.4% to 9.3% in Medicare, 6.6% to 6.5% in commercial insurance, and 5.7% to 3.0% in the VA. Monthly BZD-opioid co-prescribing over the same time fell from 4.0% to 3.0% in Medicare, 2.3% to 2.0% in commercial, and 2.2% to .6% for the VA. Age- and sex-adjusted rates of decline for BZD and BZD-opioid co-prescribing were statistically significant for all systems. Annual BZD rate reductions were .98 (Medicare), .99 (commercial), and .87 (VA; P < .001 for all); co-prescribing rate reductions were .95, .99, and .75 (P < .001 for all). Using standardized ratios accounting for demographic and clinical characteristics, both prescribing and co-prescribing were lowest for the VA relative to Medicare (standardized BZD ratio = .40; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .39-.40; standardized BZD-opioid co-prescribing ratio = .35; 95% CI = .35-.35). Prescribing in commercial insurance was also lower (BZD = .65; 95% CI = .65-.65; BZD-opioid co-prescribing = .65; 95% CI = .65-.65).
conclusionBZD prescribing has declined much more to older adults receiving care through the VA than Medicare or commercial insurance. Other systems may learn from strategies implemented in the VA.
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Registered trials
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