I am a consultant pharmacist with certification in geriatric pharmacy who has worked in nursing facilities for over 20 yrs. Per federal regulations (which are very strict!!) I review resident's charts every month for misuse of these meds among other things.
You are seriously distorting the meaning of the article in the NY Times. Nursing facilities are cited( and heavily fined) if they are allowing the use of unnecessary medications,including antipsychotics. If a physician is prescribing these unnecessarily, and the facility is allowing this to happen without monitoring, they incur heavy fines,which cuts into their profit margin. Believe me, they don't allow this to happen!
We do have problems with physicians doing this from time to time (mainly psychiatrists),but with recommendations from the consultant pharmacist, director of nursing,and the medical director of the facility, they learn to document why they are prescribing these, and gradually reducing the dose until they are no longer needed.
In the past, it is true that residents did receive antipsychotics for agitation.Now, I only see it in residents being discharged from the hospital-that is where you need to focus your scrutiny.
Mary E Scott, RPh, CGP