Treatment Planning and Medication Monitoring for Children in Foster Care Receiving Psychotropic Medication

OBJECTIVE

OIG previously found that in five States, one in three children in foster care who were prescribed psychotropic medication in FY 2015 did not receive treatment planning or medication monitoring as required.  Ten years after OIG’s review period, high rates of psychotropic medication use among children in foster care remain concerning.  Although psychotropic medications can be effective treatments for children in foster care, they should be used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, and the children who are prescribed them must be closely monitored by providers.  We will use foster care case file documentation and Medicaid claims data to determine whether children received treatment planning and medication monitoring in accordance with applicable requirements.  For five selected States, we will assess the extent to which children in foster care who were prescribed psychotropic medication received: (1) screening, assessment, and treatment planning and (2) medication monitoring consistent with State plan requirements.  Additionally, we will explore—with States and Administration for Children and Families—potential causes for any noncompliance with State plan requirements, and potentially beneficial practices implemented by States with high rates of compliance with State plan requirements.

TIMELINE