Background. Prudent antibiotic prescribing practices are essential to limiting antibiotic resistance. Objective. To assess the trend in percentage of office visits for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) linked with an antibiotic prescription. Methods. Retrospective analysis of Montana Medicaid billing claims data for each year, 1999 to 2010, was done. Participants included continuously enrolled children aged ≤14 years. Primary outcomes were ARI-related office visits and filled antibiotic prescriptions within 10 days of the office visit. Results. Of the 873 244 office visits identified, 116 962 (13%) had an ARI as the primary diagnosis. Among ARI-related office visits, 64 250 (55%) were linked with an antibiotic prescription. From 1999 to 2010, the odds of ARI-related visits being linked with an antibiotic prescription did not change (odds ratio = 1.00; 95% confidence interval = 0.995-1.002). Conclusions. The percentage of ARI-related visits linked with an antibiotic prescription did not decrease from 1999 to 2010. Further efforts are needed to reduce antibiotic treatment for ARIs.
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