NPR

Most Kids On Medicaid Who Are Prescribed ADHD Drugs Don't Get Proper Follow-Up

An inspector general report from the Department of Health and Human Services found that 100,000 kids who were newly prescribed ADHD medication didn't see a care provider for months afterward.
Timely support and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can help children focus and thrive, pediatricians say. But it takes close follow-up after diagnosis to tailor that treatment and avoid drug side effects.

Most children enrolled in Medicaid who get a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder don't get timely or appropriate treatment afterward. That's the conclusion of a report published Thursday by a federal watchdog agency, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.

"Nationwide, there were 500,000 Medicaid-enrolled children newly prescribed an ADHD medication who did not receive any timely follow-up care," says Brian Whitley, a regional inspector general with OIG. The report analyzed Medicaid claims

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