2260. Differences in the Prevalence of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing by Payer Type

Abstract

Abstract Background Understanding the relationship between inappropriate prescribing and patient insurance type could inform the targeting of antibiotic stewardship initiatives. However, few national data on this topic exist. Methods We analyzed the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative survey of office-based physician visits. We included all years from 2016 to 2019 except 2017, a year during which the survey was not fielded. We identified visits resulting in an oral antibiotic prescription among children and non-elderly adults who were privately insured, publicly insured, or uninsured. The exposure was safety-net status (publicly insured/uninsured versus privately insured). The outcome was inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, defined as an antibiotic prescription in a visit for which none of the diagnosis codes justified antibiotic use (following the approach of Chua et al, BMJ 2019). We assessed the association between safety-net status and inappropriate antibiotic prescribing using linear regression, controlling for patient characteristics, calendar quarter, and specialty. Models accounted for the complex design of the survey and employed designed-based variance estimators. Results Of 413,830,032 weighted visits for children, 16.9% resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Among these visits, the unadjusted prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions was 29.1% overall, 23.4% for safety-net patients, and 32.4% for privately insured patients (adjusted difference, safety-net minus private: -11.9%, 95% CI: -20.6%, -3.2%). Of 1,240,610,825 weighted visits for non-elderly adults, 11.0% resulted in an antibiotic prescription. Among these visits, the unadjusted prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions was 50.1% overall, 60.7% for safety-net patients, and 47.9% for privately insured patients (adjusted difference, safety-net minus private: 11.3%, 95% CI: 2.4%, 20.3%). Conclusion Safety-net status was associated with a lower rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing among children but a higher rate among non-elderly adults. Antibiotic stewardship initiatives targeting clinicians who care for privately insured children and adults with safety-net insurance may be warranted. Disclosures Jeffrey A. Linder, MD, MPH, FACP, Amgen, Biogen, Eli Lily: Stocks/Bonds