Benzodiazepine Prescribing in Iowa
Medicare Part D, 2013–2024.
Benzodiazepine prescribing in Iowa fell 7.2% between 2013 and 2024 — a slower fall than the country as a whole. In 2024 the state recorded 369,891 Medicare Part D benzodiazepine claims across 71,392 patients, an average of 5.18 fills per patient per year, which ranks 7 of 51 states. Lorazepam accounts for 32.7% of it.
Iowa over twelve years
Which benzodiazepines Iowa prescribes
| Drug | Claims 2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lorazepam | 121,039 | 32.7% |
| Alprazolam | 113,338 | 30.6% |
| Clonazepam | 95,229 | 25.7% |
| Diazepam | 23,990 | 6.5% |
| Temazepam | 13,445 | 3.6% |
Psychiatric prescribers in Iowa
145 psychiatric prescribers in Iowa appear in the 2024 Medicare Part D data with benzodiazepine claims. 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harmit SinghPsychiatry | Council Bluffs | 1,060 | 21 | -98% |
| Peter SzeibelPsychiatry | Dubuque | 751 | 38 | -94.9% |
| Thomas EarwoodPsychiatry | Clinton | 1,945 | 137 | -93% |
| Mark LassisePsychiatry | Mason City | 331 | 24 | -92.7% |
| Eric BarlowPsychiatry | Urbandale | 848 | 75 | -91.2% |
| Umesh ChakuntaPsychiatry | Dubuque | 1,224 | 129 | -89.5% |
| Robin KopelmanPsychiatry | Iowa City | 105 | 12 | -88.6% |
| Harry FischerPsychiatry | Elkader | 89 | 11 | -87.6% |
| Vithalji ModhaPsychiatry | Independence | 122 | 23 | -81.1% |
| Scott EastinPsychiatry & Neurology | Urbandale | 122 | 28 | -77% |
| Philip MullerPsychiatry | Sioux City | 1,087 | 317 | -70.8% |
| Bruce SieleniPsychiatry | Coralville | 286 | 86 | -69.9% |
| Susan DuffyPsychiatry | Iowa City | 32 | 12 | -62.5% |
| Roshan DasariPsychiatry | Centerville | 163 | 69 | -57.7% |
| Theresa SakyiamaPsychiatry | Waterloo | 35 | 15 | -57.1% |
| Gaylord NordinePsychiatry | West Des Moines | 34 | 15 | -55.9% |
| John CiaccioPsychiatry | Davenport | 757 | 369 | -51.3% |
| Eric BoyumPsychiatry | West Burlington | 571 | 278 | -51.3% |
| Donner DewdneyPsychiatry | West Des Moines | 672 | 338 | -49.7% |
| Nancy WilliamsPsychiatry | Iowa City | 219 | 111 | -49.3% |
| Rodney DeanPsychiatry | Sioux City | 1,508 | 823 | -45.4% |
| Alan WhittersPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 647 | 377 | -41.7% |
| Amanda ForystekPsychiatry | Iowa City | 20 | 13 | -35% |
| Jimmy MascaroPsychiatry | Ottumwa | 647 | 435 | -32.8% |
| Nancy BeyerPsychiatry | Iowa City | 59 | 40 | -32.2% |
| Timothy OlsonPsychiatry | Des Moines | 1,936 | 1,352 | -30.2% |
| Charles WadlePsychiatry | Urbandale | 127 | 91 | -28.3% |
| Raja AkbarPsychiatry | Waterloo | 1,310 | 950 | -27.5% |
| Abdur RahimPsychiatry | Cedar Falls | 1,114 | 809 | -27.4% |
| Karen PowellPsychiatry | Des Moines | 55 | 40 | -27.3% |
| Brahmananda MakkapatiPsychiatry | Des Moines | 1,167 | 858 | -26.5% |
| Sharon KoelePsychiatry & Neurology | Urbandale | 297 | 221 | -25.6% |
| Kunal PatraPsychiatry | Sioux City | 163 | 127 | -22.1% |
| Delwyn MillerPsychiatry | Iowa City | 199 | 156 | -21.6% |
| Allison WilliamsPsychiatry | Iowa City | 395 | 326 | -17.5% |
| Dwight SchroederPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 702 | 584 | -16.8% |
| Jason MaretPsychiatry | Decorah | 823 | 695 | -15.6% |
| Laura Van ClevePsychiatry | Toledo | 280 | 242 | -13.6% |
| Francis SanchezPsychiatry | West Burlington | 1,055 | 927 | -12.1% |
| Rogerio RamosPsychiatry | Mason City | 500 | 453 | -9.4% |
| Hristina KolevaPsychiatry | Iowa City | 13 | 12 | -7.7% |
| Adib KassasPsychiatry | Dubuque | 1,116 | 1,074 | -3.8% |
| Mark PrestonPsychiatry | Creston | 1,166 | 1,129 | -3.2% |
| Jessica McilrathPsychiatry | West Des Moines | 172 | 167 | -2.9% |
| Ann RathePsychiatry | Waverly | 576 | 565 | -1.9% |
| Bobbita NagPsychiatry | Waterloo | 74 | 75 | +1.4% |
| Vicki KijewskiPsychiatry | Iowa City | 116 | 118 | +1.7% |
| Joseph BertrochePsychiatry | Davenport | 396 | 410 | +3.5% |
| Henry EmerlePsychiatry | Davenport | 1,950 | 2,020 | +3.6% |
| Ali SafdarPsychiatry | Marion | 1,962 | 2,053 | +4.6% |
| Ara RobinsonPsychiatry | Urbandale | 56 | 63 | +12.5% |
| Cyndi MccormickPsychiatry | Ottumwa | 215 | 247 | +14.9% |
| Penumetsa RajuPsychiatry | Waterloo | 950 | 1,093 | +15.1% |
| Jeffrey WilharmPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 626 | 722 | +15.3% |
| Randall KavalierPsychiatry & Neurology | West Des Moines | 13 | 15 | +15.4% |
| Rebecca WolfePsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 93 | 108 | +16.1% |
| Janeta TanseyPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | 12 | 14 | +16.7% |
| Matthew HorvathPsychiatry & Neurology | Woodward | 482 | 564 | +17% |
| Cornelius GucfaPsychiatry | West Des Moines | 1,000 | 1,188 | +18.8% |
| Bryan NetolickyPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 785 | 933 | +18.9% |
| Daniel GillettePsychiatry | Sioux City | 97 | 117 | +20.6% |
| Douglas SteenblockPsychiatry | Marshalltown | 582 | 705 | +21.1% |
| Kent KunzePsychiatry | West Des Moines | 248 | 304 | +22.6% |
| Gabrielle BarloonPsychiatry & Neurology | Ames | 156 | 202 | +29.5% |
| Charles JennischPsychiatry & Neurology | Urbandale | 158 | 208 | +31.6% |
| Lee BermanPsychiatry | Dubuque | 870 | 1,248 | +43.4% |
| Erika LauerPsychiatry | North Liberty | 202 | 292 | +44.6% |
| Sundara Rameshwar Munagala VenkataPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 477 | 692 | +45.1% |
| Christopher OkiishiPsychiatry | North Liberty | 161 | 250 | +55.3% |
| Jodi TatePsychiatry | Iowa City | 114 | 182 | +59.6% |
| Peggy NopoulosPsychiatry | Iowa City | 60 | 97 | +61.7% |
| Michael PeroskiPsychiatry | Dubuque | 909 | 1,515 | +66.7% |
| Darko ZdilarPsychiatry | Waterloo | 694 | 1,176 | +69.5% |
| Ivan Delgado-RamosPsychiatry | Atlantic | 88 | 154 | +75% |
| Wook KimPsychiatry | Des Moines | 1,058 | 1,861 | +75.9% |
| Kyoung Bin ImPsychiatry | Iowa City | 21 | 39 | +85.7% |
| Allyson WheatonPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 190 | 354 | +86.3% |
| Gregory HotsenpillerPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 65 | 125 | +92.3% |
| Thomas KoithanPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | 58 | 115 | +98.3% |
| Christopher WelshPsychiatry | Iowa City | 26 | 57 | +119.2% |
| Shehzad KamranPsychiatry | Knoxville | 653 | 1,544 | +136.4% |
| Victoria TannPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | 33 | 82 | +148.5% |
| Jack DoddPsychiatry | Ames | 74 | 207 | +179.7% |
| Allan AndersenPsychiatry | Iowa City | 19 | 55 | +189.5% |
| David WiditzPsychiatry | Iowa City | 57 | 167 | +193% |
| Emily MorsePsychiatry | Iowa City | 71 | 261 | +267.6% |
| Kija WeldonPsychiatry | Cedar Rapids | 36 | 221 | +513.9% |
| Mi NelsonPsychiatry | Davenport | 13 | 87 | +569.2% |
| James BodniaPsychiatry | Iowa City | 54 | 392 | +625.9% |
| Anish ReddyPsychiatry | Davenport | — | 461 | — |
| Vesselin TenevPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 447 | — |
| Frederick FrankPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 210 | — |
| Hubert LabioPsychiatry | West Burlington | — | 204 | — |
| Darbie Little-CooperPsychiatry | Davenport | — | 192 | — |
| Chantal RozmusNeuropsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 181 | — |
| Gabriela CherascuPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 159 | — |
| Adam WoodsPsychiatry & Neurology | Coralville | — | 159 | — |
| Ryan SteverPsychiatry | Decorah | — | 107 | — |
| Jennifer LundgrenPsychiatry & Neurology | Shenandoah | — | 94 | — |
| Carly Van Der HeidePsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 90 | — |
| Flynn McculloughPsychiatry | Sioux City | — | 83 | — |
| Paul SchroederPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 80 | — |
| Corey ThompsonPsychiatry | Mason City | — | 77 | — |
| Manraj PaddaPsychiatry | Waterloo | — | 73 | — |
| Shea JorgensenPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 70 | — |
| Shannon JansPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 68 | — |
| Amanda MostekPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 65 | — |
| Alyssa HeinzmanPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 57 | — |
| Dimitri BoreishaPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 51 | — |
| Jacob GroenPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 51 | — |
| Selena LoseePsychiatry | Garner | — | 46 | — |
| Ryan HargravesPsychiatry | Grinnell | — | 45 | — |
| Catherine VanmilligenPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 41 | — |
| Sophia KangPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 39 | — |
| Myles AndersonPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 38 | — |
| John WagonerPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 37 | — |
| Lynn RankinPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 36 | — |
| Sean BarrettPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 36 | — |
| Ahmar ButtPsychiatry | Ankeny | — | 35 | — |
| Brady GoodwinPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 34 | — |
| Kayla HolthausPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 30 | — |
| Nicole KelmPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 29 | — |
| Ryan LeePsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 28 | — |
| Dakota SudbeckPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 27 | — |
| Logan GoetzingerPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 26 | — |
| Pooja MayurPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 25 | — |
| Brady BradshawNeuropsychiatry | Hiawatha | — | 23 | — |
| Jerome GreenfieldPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 23 | — |
| Sarah FalconPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 22 | — |
| Jeffrey WeyenethPsychiatry | Davenport | — | 22 | — |
| James MinPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 21 | — |
| Andrea WeberPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 20 | — |
| Ryan LeePsychiatry & Neurology | Coralville | — | 20 | — |
| Dorthea WheelerPsychiatry & Neurology | Cedar Rapids | — | 18 | — |
| Mohammad HussainPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 18 | — |
| Jackson RichardsPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 15 | — |
| Sasha KhosraviPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 13 | — |
| Alexandra WeyPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 12 | — |
| Devesh KaushikPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 12 | — |
| Hildegard JanouschekPsychiatry | Iowa City | — | 12 | — |
| Bailey BrooksPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 12 | — |
| Laurie MccormickPsychiatry & Neurology | Iowa City | — | 11 | — |
| Omar KhanPsychiatry & Neurology | Des Moines | — | 11 | — |
| Walter MogeniPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 11 | — |
| Adrianna MitchellPsychiatry | Des Moines | — | 11 | — |
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 Iowa
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 Iowa?
It fell 7.2% between 2013 and 2024 in Medicare Part D — a slower fall than the country as a whole, where prescribing fell 12.9%. In 2024, Iowa recorded 369,891 benzodiazepine claims across 71,392 patients.
How does Iowa compare to other states?
Iowa ranks 7 of 51 for prescribing intensity, at 5.18 benzodiazepine fills per patient per year, and 33 of 51 for the size of its decline since 2013 (1 being the steepest fall).
Which benzodiazepine is prescribed most in Iowa?
Lorazepam, at 121,039 claims — 32.7% of the state's benzodiazepine prescribing in 2024. Next are Alprazolam (30.6%) and Clonazepam (25.7%).
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.