Benzodiazepine Prescribing in Hawaii
Medicare Part D, 2013–2024.
Benzodiazepine prescribing in Hawaii fell 18.8% between 2013 and 2024 — a steeper fall than the country as a whole. In 2024 the state recorded 60,067 Medicare Part D benzodiazepine claims across 15,741 patients, an average of 3.82 fills per patient per year, which ranks 47 of 51 states. Alprazolam accounts for 31.5% of it.
Hawaii over twelve years
Which benzodiazepines Hawaii prescribes
| Drug | Claims 2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Alprazolam | 18,904 | 31.5% |
| Lorazepam | 15,161 | 25.2% |
| Clonazepam | 12,825 | 21.4% |
| Diazepam | 9,433 | 15.7% |
| Temazepam | 2,665 | 4.4% |
Psychiatric prescribers in Hawaii
101 psychiatric prescribers in Hawaii appear in the 2024 Medicare Part D data with benzodiazepine claims. 9 of them recorded at least a 50% fall in benzodiazepine claims since 2019. Sorted by change, largest reduction first.
This is a record, not a recommendation. A fall in Medicare benzodiazepine claims has many possible explanations — a changing patient panel, retirement, a shift to another payer, or simply dropping below the threshold CMS publishes. It does not establish that a prescriber supports tapering, and a low number does not mean they will take you as a patient. Use it as one input, then ask the five vetting questions.
| Prescriber | City | 2019 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald BuschPsychiatry | Honolulu | 1,658 | 26 | -98.4% |
| Piyush TiwariPsychiatry | Honolulu | 1,187 | 211 | -82.2% |
| Evarts FoxPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | 46 | 11 | -76.1% |
| Robert YoungPsychiatry | Waianae | 177 | 47 | -73.4% |
| Sharon TiszaPsychiatry | Kaneohe | 58 | 16 | -72.4% |
| Elena SharipovaPsychiatry | Aiea | 151 | 50 | -66.9% |
| Harriet LooPsychiatry & Neurology | Schofield Barracks | 28 | 13 | -53.6% |
| Clayton ChanPsychiatry & Neurology | Kaneohe | 129 | 60 | -53.5% |
| Michael KomeyaPsychiatry | Honolulu | 41 | 20 | -51.2% |
| Henry YangPsychiatry | Hilo | 164 | 89 | -45.7% |
| Joseph GiannasioPsychiatry | Kailua | 225 | 126 | -44% |
| Peter YamamotoPsychiatry & Neurology | Waianae | 48 | 27 | -43.8% |
| Lori Murayama-SungPsychiatry | Honolulu | 77 | 44 | -42.9% |
| Boyd SlomoffPsychiatry | Honolulu | 70 | 40 | -42.9% |
| Donna SliwowskiPsychiatry | Honolulu | 382 | 221 | -42.1% |
| Dean FraserPsychiatry | Honolulu | 34 | 22 | -35.3% |
| Ken MatsumotoPsychiatry | Honolulu | 53 | 39 | -26.4% |
| Stephanie SkowPsychiatry | Lihue | 385 | 293 | -23.9% |
| Roman Anthony AciertoPsychiatry | Honolulu | 280 | 214 | -23.6% |
| Denis Mee-LeePsychiatry | Honolulu | 614 | 483 | -21.3% |
| Rudolf KuszmiderPsychiatry | Honolulu | 210 | 174 | -17.1% |
| John HeasterPsychiatry & Neurology | Hilo | 739 | 619 | -16.2% |
| Riggs RobertsPsychiatry & Neurology | Wailuku Maui | 134 | 119 | -11.2% |
| Tina Melendrez-ChuPsychiatry | Honolulu | 12 | 11 | -8.3% |
| Doris RossPsychiatry & Neurology | Kailua Kona | 165 | 152 | -7.9% |
| Chadd EaglinPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | 308 | 292 | -5.2% |
| Vijaya VellankiPsychiatry | Honolulu | 352 | 336 | -4.5% |
| Stacy UyekuboPsychiatry | Honolulu | 50 | 48 | -4% |
| Mya HlaPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | 79 | 76 | -3.8% |
| Perry HeintzPsychiatry | Honolulu | 28 | 27 | -3.6% |
| Glorifin BelmontePsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | 160 | 158 | -1.2% |
| John NeuhausPsychiatry | Honolulu | 13 | 13 | 0% |
| Nancy LuckiePsychiatry | Honolulu | 12 | 12 | 0% |
| Jeremy RobertsPsychiatry | Kailua | 140 | 142 | +1.4% |
| Noelle YuenPsychiatry & Neurology | Aiea | 13 | 14 | +7.7% |
| James ManaligodPsychiatry | Honolulu | 13 | 14 | +7.7% |
| Steven WilliamsPsychiatry | Honolulu | 83 | 92 | +10.8% |
| John GuoPsychiatry | Honolulu | 407 | 452 | +11.1% |
| Raymond DavidsonPsychiatry | Honolulu | 1,154 | 1,303 | +12.9% |
| Rodney YamakiPsychiatry | Aiea | 92 | 105 | +14.1% |
| Naomi BiklePsychiatry | Kailua Kona | 198 | 227 | +14.6% |
| Rika SuzukiNeuropsychiatry | Honolulu | 66 | 78 | +18.2% |
| Jon NakamuraPsychiatry | Lihue | 145 | 172 | +18.6% |
| Nagaprasad MurthiPsychiatry | Wailea | 456 | 544 | +19.3% |
| Esther KawanoPsychiatry | Honolulu | 31 | 37 | +19.4% |
| Maria Rosario MabiniPsychiatry | Honolulu | 68 | 84 | +23.5% |
| Edward WuPsychiatry & Neurology | Kaneohe | 118 | 148 | +25.4% |
| Yuko KusakaPsychiatry | Honolulu | 26 | 33 | +26.9% |
| Ethan PienPsychiatry | Honolulu | 37 | 47 | +27% |
| Donald GeilPsychiatry | Honolulu | 122 | 157 | +28.7% |
| Michael ZafraniPsychiatry | Aica | 209 | 287 | +37.3% |
| Shelley HamPsychiatry | Hilo | 116 | 160 | +37.9% |
| Douglas SmithPsychiatry | Honolulu | 116 | 165 | +42.2% |
| Ray TeramotoPsychiatry & Neurology | Aiea | 35 | 50 | +42.9% |
| Alan BuffensteinPsychiatry | Honolulu | 183 | 292 | +59.6% |
| Kathleen IannitelloPsychiatry | Wailuku | 99 | 158 | +59.6% |
| Shalini MishraPsychiatry | Pearl City | 60 | 97 | +61.7% |
| Gretchenjan GaveroPsychiatry | Honolulu | 15 | 26 | +73.3% |
| Kristopher BjornsonPsychiatry | Haleiwa | 33 | 64 | +93.9% |
| David SteinPsychiatry | Honolulu | 130 | 254 | +95.4% |
| Wayne GotoPsychiatry | Honolulu | 53 | 106 | +100% |
| Joel PeckPsychiatry | Aiea | 21 | 47 | +123.8% |
| Julienne AulwesPsychiatry | Kapolei | 44 | 109 | +147.7% |
| Ian ChunPsychiatry | Kamuela | 50 | 126 | +152% |
| Thomas CookPsychiatry | Honolulu | 59 | 216 | +266.1% |
| Peyton HurtPsychiatry & Neurology | Tamc | 11 | 50 | +354.5% |
| Barry CarltonPsychiatry | Honolulu | 30 | 137 | +356.7% |
| James WehrenbergPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | 17 | 92 | +441.2% |
| Kimberly ValentinePsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 256 | — |
| Daniel ChoPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 184 | — |
| Dennis LeePsychiatry | Hilo | — | 165 | — |
| Darin GouldPsychiatry | Kailua | — | 162 | — |
| Bharathi RaidooPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 106 | — |
| Alexandru SerghiPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 100 | — |
| Minh-Duc HuynhPsychiatry & Neurology | Waianae | — | 97 | — |
| Arla MisticaPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 90 | — |
| Jessica MorrisPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 79 | — |
| Philippe LevyPsychiatry | Kailua Kona | — | 76 | — |
| Matthew BarrettPsychiatry | Pahoa | — | 67 | — |
| Johnathan WuPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 56 | — |
| Noam GrysmanPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 53 | — |
| Jennifer VillaPsychiatry | Wailuku | — | 51 | — |
| Taylor BranaPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 45 | — |
| Jin LeePsychiatry | Waianae | — | 44 | — |
| Donald SimpsonPsychiatry | Waianae | — | 42 | — |
| Angela WaiPsychiatry | Aiea | — | 40 | — |
| Hyundong HahnPsychiatry | Waipahu | — | 36 | — |
| William PortmanPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 34 | — |
| Marva LawsonPsychiatry | Kaneohe | — | 27 | — |
| Lauren WatanabePsychiatry & Neurology | Kaneohe | — | 26 | — |
| Gale BeardsleyPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 24 | — |
| Paul GrafPsychiatry | Kailua | — | 23 | — |
| George MakiniPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | — | 15 | — |
| Anthony GuerreroPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 14 | — |
| Chad KoyanagiPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 14 | — |
| Joseph TurbanPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | — | 14 | — |
| Jason GlipaPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 13 | — |
| Rhodelynn RamosPsychiatry | Hilo | — | 13 | — |
| Keiko ChenPsychiatry | Honolulu | — | 13 | — |
| David Des JarlaisPsychiatry & Neurology | Honolulu | — | 12 | — |
| Daniel TsengPsychiatry | Waipahu | — | 12 | — |
Figures are reproduced from the CMS public use files without alteration. Clinicians who believe a row misstates their record can write to support@taperoffbenzos.com and we will check it against the source file and correct or remove it.
Finding a prescriber in Hawaii
This data describes prescribing patterns; it does not tell you who will support a slow taper. For that, our guide to finding a benzo-wise prescriber compares every free provider directory that exists and lists the five questions that predict how a taper will go. If you already have a prescriber, the taper calculator generates a schedule to review with them.
Frequently asked questions
Is benzodiazepine prescribing rising or falling in Hawaii?
It fell 18.8% between 2013 and 2024 in Medicare Part D — a steeper fall than the country as a whole, where prescribing fell 12.9%. In 2024, Hawaii recorded 60,067 benzodiazepine claims across 15,741 patients.
How does Hawaii compare to other states?
Hawaii ranks 47 of 51 for prescribing intensity, at 3.82 benzodiazepine fills per patient per year, and 19 of 51 for the size of its decline since 2013 (1 being the steepest fall).
Which benzodiazepine is prescribed most in Hawaii?
Alprazolam, at 18,904 claims — 31.5% of the state's benzodiazepine prescribing in 2024. Next are Lorazepam (25.2%) and Clonazepam (21.4%).
Source
CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers public use files, data years 2013–2024 (US Government work, public domain). Medicare Part D only — it excludes commercial insurance and cash-pay, skews toward patients 65 and over, and suppresses cells of 10 or fewer claims. Full methodology and limitations are on the national page.