Red Flag and Response Systems for Oversight and Monitoring of Psychotropic Medications

Ensuring the appropriate use of psychotropic medications among youth in foster care requires vigilant monitoring and oversight. In 2012, the Administration for Children and Families issued an information memorandum outlining several “red flags” related to the prescribing of psychotropic medication to children in child welfare—simply stated, too many, too much, and too young. To address these issues, many states have implemented red flag and response mechanisms as part of their psychotropic medication oversight and monitoring systems.

These mechanisms vary from state to state, with some states enacting policies through the child welfare agency, and others codifying red flag policies in regulations or through policies in the Medicaid agency. Some response systems use a prospective approach and others a retrospective approach when responding to prescribers/prescriptions that trigger a state’s identified red flags.

During this technical assistance webinar, presenters from Maryland and Wyoming described their states’ red flags and response systems, highlighting program design, data collection/monitoring strategies, program evaluation, and lessons learned. Unique aspects of each program were discussed, including Maryland’s focus on whether a child in foster care is referred for therapy services before or in addition to being prescribed psychotropic medications, and Wyoming’s red-flag-triggered referrals to the state’s care management entity. At the conclusion of this session, participants gained a greater understanding of how red flags were identified and implemented in each state, and how the response systems were executed and operate.

© Center for Health Care Strategies

[wendyhamilton]

The biggest red flag may not be mentioned that is the date that most mental health wrote up things as they think they are in order to match a syndrome as set out in the dsm. This usually their thoughts, their ideas and have nothing to do with the person they are interviewing. If they gave information from others which influence their writing it is usually not confirmed may be untrue and if it is from someone with a grudge is damaging derogatory information that leads to further harm to a vunerable person. All psychiatric medications harm the brain, emotions, liver, heart and kidney. The original medication was a worm drug for pigs that when given to a human placed them in a comatose position. The next one was an anisthetic. To prescribe these drugs is unethical.