children’s psychiatric drugs in kansas medicaid: kansas’s own three numbers
kansas told cms three things about its children in the 2025 reporting year: 72.3 percent of children aged 1 to 11 newly prescribed an antipsychotic had psychosocial care documented first, 8th of the 50 states that reported it; 13.2 percent of children on two or more antipsychotics got both the glucose and the cholesterol test, the lowest of the 49 states that reported it; 53.0 percent of children aged 6 to 12 starting an adhd medicine were seen again inside 30 days, 15th of the 51 states that reported it.[1]
across the whole age range, kansas sits in the top quarter of the country on psychosocial care before an antipsychotic and in the bottom quarter of the country on the two metabolic blood tests. same state, same year, same children.
every row kansas sent to cms
| measure | kansas | denominator | rank | national median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP-CHpsychosocial care first, 1 to 11 | 72.3 | withheld | 8 of 50 | 59.2 |
| APP-CHpsychosocial care first, 12 to 17 | 70.3 | withheld | 13 of 51 | 63.8 |
| APP-CHpsychosocial care first, 1 to 17 | 71.2 | 2,111 | 9 of 51 | 61.4 |
| APM-CHboth blood tests, 1 to 11 | 13.2 | withheld | 49 of 49 | 29.1 |
| APM-CHboth blood tests, 12 to 17 | 17.0 | withheld | 49 of 51 | 36.3 |
| APM-CHboth blood tests, 1 to 17 | 15.6 | 6,109 | 49 of 51 | 32.9 |
| APM-CHglucose alone, 1 to 17 | 35.9 | 6,109 | 50 of 51 | 54.4 |
| APM-CHcholesterol alone, 1 to 17 | 15.9 | 6,109 | 49 of 51 | 34.8 |
| ADD-CH30-day adhd follow-up, 6 to 12 | 53.0 | 4,700 | 15 of 51 | 47.6 |
| ADD-CHnine-month adhd follow-up, 6 to 12 | 62.1 | 1,506 | 8 of 49 | 55.5 |
rank 1 is the highest rate. how the ranks and the withheld cells work.[1]
talking treatment before the antipsychotic
for the youngest children, aged 1 to 11, kansas reported 72.3 percent — 13.1 points above the national median of 59.2, and 8th of the 50 states that reported it. put the other way round, 27.7 percent of the youngest children in kansas who were started on an antipsychotic had no psychosocial care documented before it. for adolescents aged 12 to 17 the figure was 70.3 percent. across ages 1 to 17, 71.2 percent on 2,111 children, 9th of the 51 states that reported it. it reported 72.0 the year before on the same method, so this one moved 0.8 points down — the only one of the three where that comparison holds. either side of kansas on that row: massachusetts at 71.7 and new york at 71.1.
the two blood tests
kansas reported that 13.2 percent of children aged 1 to 11 on two or more antipsychotic prescriptions had both tests — the lowest of the 49 states that reported it, 15.9 points below the national median of 29.1. split into halves across ages 1 to 17, glucose ran 35.9 percent and cholesterol 15.9 percent, both on 6,109 children — the second-lowest of the 51 states that reported it on glucose, the third-lowest of the 51 states that reported it on cholesterol. across ages 1 to 17 the both-tests rate was 15.6 percent. either side of kansas on the both-tests row for ages 1 to 17: idaho at 19.6 and district of columbia at 10.9.
the 30-day visit after a new adhd prescription
53.0 percent, on 4,700 children aged 6 to 12 who were newly prescribed an adhd medicine in kansas — 15th of the 51 states that reported it, 5.4 points above the national median of 47.6. that leaves 47.0 percent of those children with no recorded prescriber visit in the month after the medicine started. over the nine months that follow, 62.1 percent had at least two more visits on 1,506 children, against a national median of 55.5 — 8th of the 49 states that reported it. either side of kansas on the 30-day row: ohio at 53.6 and michigan at 51.8.
a break in kansas’s own series, not a collapse in care
kansas reported 43.2 on both blood tests, 1 to 17 in the 2024 reporting year and 15.6 in 2025, a move of 27.6 points. kansas reported 57.9 on glucose alone, 1 to 17 in the 2024 reporting year and 35.9 in 2025, a move of 22.0 points. kansas reported 43.7 on cholesterol alone, 1 to 17 in the 2024 reporting year and 15.9 in 2025, a move of 27.8 points. between those two years every reporting state in the country switched these measures from claims data to electronic clinical data systems, so the instrument changed underneath the numbers. moves that size are a change in how the counting was done before they are anything about clinics in kansas, and we are not going to read them as one. every state where this happened.
what medicaid paid for in kansas in 2024
in 2024 medicaid in kansas paid for 57,156 hydroxyzine prescriptions, $686,827 worth, and 63,722 benzodiazepine prescriptions, $1,145,658 worth — 89.7 hydroxyzine prescriptions for every 100 benzodiazepine ones. 77 of the 286 hydroxyzine rows and 508 of the 1,161 benzodiazepine rows for kansas were suppressed, so both are floors.[2] our own sums of the federal file, which has no ages, so neither is a children’s number, and no rank.
four things to ask, with kansas’s own numbers behind them
ask which drug it is, not which class
kansas, 2024: 57,156 hydroxyzine prescriptions and 63,722 benzodiazepine prescriptions
hydroxyzine is an antihistamine; a benzodiazepine brings dependence and withdrawal. read the name on the bottle. why they get merged.
if an antipsychotic is being started, ask what came first
kansas: 72.3 percent of children aged 1 to 11, 8th of the 50 states that reported it
in 27.7 percent of these cases the answer is “none yet”. ask what was tried first, and ask for it in the notes.
if your child is on an antipsychotic, get the date of the bloodwork
kansas: 13.2 percent of children aged 1 to 11 had both tests, the lowest of the 49 states that reported it
missed 86.8 percent of the time in kansas. ask when the glucose and cholesterol test is booked, and leave with a date.
if an adhd medicine has just been started, book the 30-day visit now
kansas: 53.0 percent, 15th of the 51 states that reported it
this is where a dose gets checked and a wrong fit is caught, and kansas misses it 47.0 percent of the time. book it before you leave the room.
how to read any of this
self-reported, on methods that differ by state, and process not outcome.[1] method and suppression rules; the national picture.
questions people ask
In Kansas, how many children get therapy before they get an antipsychotic?
In the 2025 reporting year Kansas reported 72.3 percent for children aged 1 to 11, against a national median of 59.2 percent — 8th of the 50 states that reported it. For ages 12 to 17 it was 70.3 percent, and across ages 1 to 17 71.2 percent on 2,111 children.
In Kansas, do children on antipsychotics get the blood tests?
13.2 percent of children aged 1 to 11 on two or more antipsychotic prescriptions had both tests — the lowest of the 49 states that reported it, against a national median of 29.1 percent. Across ages 1 to 17: glucose 35.9 percent, cholesterol 15.9 percent, on 6,109 children.
In Kansas, how often does the 30-day ADHD follow-up visit happen?
53.0 percent of the time, on 4,700 children aged 6 to 12 newly prescribed an ADHD medicine — 15th of the 51 states that reported it, against a national median of 47.6 percent. The nine-month measure, two further visits, was 62.1 percent in Kansas against a median of 55.5.
sources
- CMS Medicaid/CHIP Child Core Set, 2025 reporting year, Kansas rows, read 2026-09-28. APP-CH psychosocial care first, 1 to 11: 72.3 (denominator not publicly reported); APP-CH psychosocial care first, 12 to 17: 70.3 (denominator not publicly reported); APP-CH psychosocial care first, 1 to 17: 71.2 on a denominator of 2,111; APM-CH both blood tests, 1 to 11: 13.2 (denominator not publicly reported); APM-CH both blood tests, 12 to 17: 17.0 (denominator not publicly reported); APM-CH both blood tests, 1 to 17: 15.6 on a denominator of 6,109; APM-CH glucose alone, 1 to 17: 35.9 on a denominator of 6,109; APM-CH cholesterol alone, 1 to 17: 15.9 on a denominator of 6,109; ADD-CH 30-day adhd follow-up, 6 to 12: 53.0 on a denominator of 4,700; ADD-CH nine-month adhd follow-up, 6 to 12: 62.1 on a denominator of 1,506. Method and ranking scope: /medicaid-children. https://data.medicaid.gov/dataset/14bc26c3-5584-4032-9175-f3a0399cb206
- CMS State Drug Utilization Data 2024, Kansas rows, summed by product name, read 2026-09-28: hydroxyzine 57,156 prescriptions, $686,827, 77 of 286 rows suppressed; benzodiazepines 63,722 prescriptions, $1,145,658, 508 of 1,161 rows suppressed. Our sum, not a CMS statistic. https://data.medicaid.gov/dataset/61729e5a-7aa8-448c-8903-ba3e0cd0ea3c
all 51 states ranked · what the national numbers say
nothing here is a reason to start, stop or change a child’s medication. it is a set of questions to bring to the person who prescribes it.
adam