New Jersey

Child Health Extramural Research by State and Country

New Jersey

Principal Investigator: Crystal, Stephen
Title: Center for Education and Research on Mental Health Therapeutics*
Institution: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
E-mail: scrystal@rci.rutgers.edu
Project Dates: 04/14/06-03/31/11
Project No.: U18 HS16097
Summary: The first of three projects in this study, "Use and Monitoring of Antidepressant Therapy among Youths," will describe rates, predictors, and trends in antidepressant use associated with treatment initiation among children and adolescents in multistate Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) populations. The study will also examine monitoring patterns following initiation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including the frequency and timing of professional visits, provider specialty, receipt or nonreceipt of mental health specialty services, and procedure codes for visit types (psychotherapy, diagnosis and evaluation, medication management). The second project in the study, "Assessing Quality of Antipsychotic Treatment of Medicaid Youth," will examine variations in patterns of antipsychotic drug use among youths across 8 states, including provider, beneficiary characteristics, and diagnoses associated with treatment; treatment duration; and the use of multiple medications. The project will also estimate how closely practice conforms to selected Treatment Recommendations for Atypical in Aggressive Youth (TRAAY) guidelines, and will identify physician and patient characteristics associated with low-conformance The third project, "Improving Prescriber Practices for Antidepressants and Atypical Antipsychotics in Children: The Texas-New York Medication Algorithm Project," will adapt the TRAAY—originally intended for inpatient/residential settings—to outpatient settings. This study will also integrate and develop "crosswalks" between Texas- and New York- developed SSRI guidelines, so that each addresses the complementary roles of primary care providers and mental health specialists, and are applicable to both states. Moreover, this project will train samples of outpatient prescribers in Texas and New York to apply modified TRAAY and SSRI guidelines, and to evaluate program impact. Minorities (Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and African-American) and children between 5 and 18 years of age will be included in the three projects.

Principal Investigator: Crystal, Stephen
Title: *Comparative Safety and Effectiveness of Antipsychotics
Institution: Rutgers State University, New Brunswick, NJ
Project Dates: 09/30/08-03/31/10
Project No.: U18-HS017918
Summary: In recent years, the use of atypical antipsychotic medications (AAPs) for non-labeled indications-particularly for vulnerable children, adolescents, and the elderly-has sharply increased. This increase in usage has occurred despite the fact that basic questions have not yet been answered regarding the comparative safety and effectiveness of AAPs for these groups. This cooperative agreement will build on data from past AHRQ-funded Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) projects, the expertise of methodological leaders, and other prior research on antipsychotic use and outcomes to identify evidence that is critically needed to guide optimal use of antipsychotic drugs in vulnerable populations.

Principal Investigator: Li, Tong
Title: Physician Cesarean Rate and Risk-Adjusted Birth Outcomes
Institution: University of Medicine and Dentistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ
E-mail: lito@umdnj.edu
Project Dates: 06/15/00-06/14/01
Project No.: R03 HS10795
Summary: This study will evaluate the effectiveness of cesarean sections to reduce perinatal mortality, and, if it is effective, to estimate the cost per infant/fetus saved as measured by hospital charges. Differences in patient risk will be adjusted on a per-physician basis with data from New Jersey's electronic birth certificate records and maternal hospital discharge data.

*Project includes children or children's health care issues but does not focus exclusively on children.

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