Benzodiazepine Prescribing in Kentucky
Medicare Part D, 2013–2024.
Benzodiazepine prescribing in Kentucky fell 24% between 2013 and 2024 — a steeper fall than the country as a whole. In 2024 the state recorded 660,545 Medicare Part D benzodiazepine claims across 113,357 patients, an average of 5.83 fills per patient per year, which ranks 2 of 51 states. Alprazolam accounts for 32.7% of it.
660,545
Claims, 2024
113,357
Patients, 2024
5.83
Fills per patient
-24%
Since 2013
Kentucky over twelve years
Which benzodiazepines Kentucky prescribes
| Drug | Claims 2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Alprazolam | 215,846 | 32.7% |
| Clonazepam | 179,576 | 27.2% |
| Lorazepam | 135,014 | 20.4% |
| Diazepam | 90,732 | 13.7% |
| Temazepam | 32,080 | 4.9% |
Psychiatric prescribers in Kentucky
220 psychiatric prescribers in Kentucky appear in the 2024 Medicare Part D data with benzodiazepine claims. 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max KinnamanPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 426 | 11 | -97.4% |
| Kara StebbinsPsychiatry | Lexington | 284 | 11 | -96.1% |
| Christopher StanleyPsychiatry | Lexington | 2,441 | 108 | -95.6% |
| Anthony AlvarezPsychiatry | Erlanger | 578 | 67 | -88.4% |
| John AllahhamPsychiatry | Danville | 2,098 | 406 | -80.6% |
| Rakesh ChandraPsychiatry | Mayfield | 737 | 175 | -76.3% |
| Mark HyattPsychiatry | Columbia | 1,553 | 378 | -75.7% |
| Alan MyersPsychiatry | Hopkinsville | 140 | 36 | -74.3% |
| Brian JonesPsychiatry | Florence | 869 | 228 | -73.8% |
| Duncan DarnellPsychiatry | Paducah | 239 | 64 | -73.2% |
| Brian GreenleePsychiatry | Lexington | 66 | 18 | -72.7% |
| Scott LancePsychiatry | Ashland | 4,303 | 1,199 | -72.1% |
| Jay NarolaPsychiatry | Pikeville | 537 | 160 | -70.2% |
| Carol HammerbeckPsychiatry & Neurology | Georgetown | 335 | 104 | -69% |
| Larry GrossPsychiatry | Covington | 425 | 133 | -68.7% |
| Caroline McdonaldPsychiatry | Louisville | 557 | 177 | -68.2% |
| Mohamed KhodeirPsychiatry | Louisville | 1,055 | 347 | -67.1% |
| Mrinal MullickPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 255 | 88 | -65.5% |
| Amanda HettingerPsychiatry | Louisville | 186 | 66 | -64.5% |
| Glenna MajorPsychiatry | Radcliff | 38 | 14 | -63.2% |
| Umang ShahPsychiatry | Owensboro | 395 | 148 | -62.5% |
| Mina KalfasAddiction Medicine | Crestview Hills | 258 | 97 | -62.4% |
| Naeem AkhtarPsychiatry | Lexington | 203 | 77 | -62.1% |
| Thor TangvaldPsychiatry | Bellevue | 58 | 22 | -62.1% |
| Mehreen MansoorPsychiatry | Louisville | 38 | 15 | -60.5% |
| Arun KaithiPsychiatry | Louisville | 206 | 87 | -57.8% |
| Michael McintoshPsychiatry | Ft Wright | 877 | 382 | -56.4% |
| Barry RebeckPsychiatry | Richmond | 189 | 86 | -54.5% |
| Ronald KelleyPsychiatry | Paducah | 484 | 223 | -53.9% |
| Zev ZusmanPsychiatry | Somerset | 940 | 438 | -53.4% |
| Sudha PatelPsychiatry | Irvington | 68 | 32 | -52.9% |
| Ramesh GhantaPsychiatry | Frankfort | 254 | 124 | -51.2% |
| Corazon ChuaPsychiatry | Louisa | 155 | 76 | -51% |
| Bhupendra GuptaPsychiatry | Louisville | 53 | 26 | -50.9% |
| Christopher PetersPsychiatry | Louisville | 24 | 12 | -50% |
| Charles BriscoePsychiatry | Corbin | 530 | 291 | -45.1% |
| Camellia MazloomdoostPsychiatry | Lexington | 131 | 72 | -45% |
| Robert WoolleyPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 208 | 115 | -44.7% |
| Emilee Bailey-OffillPsychiatry | Mt Sterling | 23 | 13 | -43.5% |
| Joseph ZergaPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 21 | 12 | -42.9% |
| Robert CaudillPsychiatry | Louisville | 255 | 146 | -42.7% |
| Muhammad AshfaqPsychiatry | Lexington | 119 | 70 | -41.2% |
| Lu YePsychiatry | Louisville | 51 | 31 | -39.2% |
| Kathy VincentPsychiatry | Louisville | 266 | 163 | -38.7% |
| Mary Helen DavisPsychiatry | Louisville | 65 | 40 | -38.5% |
| Mariano GalangPsychiatry | Louisville | 347 | 216 | -37.8% |
| Llewelyn HortillosaPsychiatry | Campbellsville | 336 | 209 | -37.8% |
| Robina BokhariPsychiatry | Somerset | 3,229 | 2,048 | -36.6% |
| Farhan FazalPsychiatry | Hazard | 182 | 116 | -36.3% |
| David GrayPsychiatry | Hopkinsville | 95 | 62 | -34.7% |
| Jessica ReisPsychiatry | Louisville | 83 | 55 | -33.7% |
| Syed RizviPsychiatry | Lexington | 296 | 199 | -32.8% |
| Warren ChumleyNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | 557 | 377 | -32.3% |
| Svetlana FaminaPsychiatry | Paducah | 178 | 121 | -32% |
| Michael ThompsonPsychiatry | Louisville | 1,117 | 765 | -31.5% |
| James HawthornePsychiatry | Lexington | 16 | 11 | -31.2% |
| Sandeep SarochPsychiatry | Ashland | 1,520 | 1,054 | -30.7% |
| Daniel SussmanPsychiatry | Paducah | 58 | 44 | -24.1% |
| Ora FrankelPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 489 | 375 | -23.3% |
| Jesse WrightPsychiatry | Louisville | 231 | 178 | -22.9% |
| Samuel WelchPsychiatry | Mt Sterling | 1,095 | 848 | -22.6% |
| Charles BensenhaverPsychiatry | Louisville | 494 | 388 | -21.5% |
| Syed RazaPsychiatry | Harlan | 115 | 91 | -20.9% |
| Getulio TovarPsychiatry | Lexington | 1,220 | 982 | -19.5% |
| Haojiang HuangPsychiatry | Louisville | 17 | 14 | -17.6% |
| David ChorostPsychiatry | Hopkinsville | 613 | 508 | -17.1% |
| Stephen CoxPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 800 | 665 | -16.9% |
| Christopher FennellPsychiatry | Morehead | 1,228 | 1,046 | -14.8% |
| Lynn JacobsonPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 25 | 22 | -12% |
| Andre FernandezPsychiatry | Lexington | 363 | 327 | -9.9% |
| Colleen RyanPsychiatry | Louisville | 60 | 56 | -6.7% |
| Jon MillerPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 233 | 219 | -6% |
| Joseph HarrisonPsychiatry | Owensboro | 385 | 365 | -5.2% |
| Sufian AhmadPsychiatry | Elizabethtown | 311 | 296 | -4.8% |
| Elizabeth SheltonPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 151 | 144 | -4.6% |
| Beth HousmanPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 23 | 22 | -4.3% |
| Teresa Oropilla-KieferPsychiatry | Lexington | 456 | 440 | -3.5% |
| David CaseyPsychiatry | Louisville | 372 | 365 | -1.9% |
| Robert BungePsychiatry | Lexington | 1,258 | 1,243 | -1.2% |
| Kenneth DavisPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Robert ElliottPsychiatry | Lexington | 1,359 | 1,355 | -0.3% |
| Rogelio SilvaPsychiatry | Henderson | 1,310 | 1,308 | -0.2% |
| Yelena VaninaNeuropsychiatry | Louisville | 1,874 | 1,872 | -0.1% |
| Louis MuddPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 971 | 971 | 0% |
| Scott HedgesPsychiatry | La Grange | 34 | 34 | 0% |
| Raquel VasquezPsychiatry | London | 220 | 222 | +0.9% |
| Robert StewartPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 593 | 602 | +1.5% |
| Rifaat ElmallakhPsychiatry | Louisville | 251 | 255 | +1.6% |
| Lon HaysPsychiatry | Lexington | 59 | 60 | +1.7% |
| Jin AmonPsychiatry | Owensboro | 222 | 226 | +1.8% |
| Stephen LambNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | 339 | 349 | +2.9% |
| Manmohan PothulooriPsychiatry | Prestonsburg | 611 | 631 | +3.3% |
| John SalleePsychiatry | Murray | 1,480 | 1,553 | +4.9% |
| Laurie BallewPsychiatry | Paducah | 405 | 425 | +4.9% |
| Eric LydonPsychiatry | Louisville | 223 | 234 | +4.9% |
| Robyn StinnettPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 173 | 185 | +6.9% |
| Terry HaganPsychiatry | Louisville | 527 | 564 | +7% |
| David MeyerPsychiatry | Paducah | 1,390 | 1,513 | +8.8% |
| Gregory SingletonPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 145 | 159 | +9.7% |
| Steven ThorePsychiatry | Hopkinsville | 216 | 247 | +14.4% |
| Christopher SchrodtPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 313 | 359 | +14.7% |
| Ben SchoenbachlerPsychiatry | Louisville | 346 | 399 | +15.3% |
| Cheryl RivardPsychiatry | Stanford | 13 | 15 | +15.4% |
| Danya' Colbert-TrowelPsychiatry | Louisville | 1,076 | 1,258 | +16.9% |
| Jeffrey ZellersPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 367 | 434 | +18.3% |
| Mark WrightPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 356 | 424 | +19.1% |
| Sunil NairPsychiatry | Frankfort | 172 | 206 | +19.8% |
| Kellye SingletaryPsychiatry | Louisville | 218 | 264 | +21.1% |
| Joseph GrauPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 132 | 163 | +23.5% |
| Arnold ShapiroPsychiatry | Ft Wright | 113 | 142 | +25.7% |
| Teresa GevedonPsychiatry | Lexington | 43 | 55 | +27.9% |
| Andrea ThomasPsychiatry | Paris | 531 | 686 | +29.2% |
| Saeed HamidPsychiatry | Lexington | 113 | 150 | +32.7% |
| Kevin BaysPsychiatry | Louisville | 541 | 723 | +33.6% |
| George SchrodtPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 264 | 354 | +34.1% |
| Clayton HallPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisa | 520 | 714 | +37.3% |
| James DumasPsychiatry | Paintsville | 80 | 110 | +37.5% |
| Brian PlatoNeuropsychiatry | Louisville | 115 | 164 | +42.6% |
| Charles FranckePsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 159 | 229 | +44% |
| Piotr ZiebaPsychiatry | Florence | 1,223 | 1,904 | +55.7% |
| Steven CroleyPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 409 | 679 | +66% |
| Denise WinlandPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 137 | 233 | +70.1% |
| Tanya WozniakPsychiatry | Louisville | 67 | 118 | +76.1% |
| Patricia ChandlerPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | 277 | 494 | +78.3% |
| Yu Cho ShihPsychiatry | Lexington | 84 | 160 | +90.5% |
| Shawn BrownPsychiatry | Waddy | 85 | 162 | +90.6% |
| Frank DelandPsychiatry | Louisville | 583 | 1,143 | +96.1% |
| Michael RieserPsychiatry | Lexington | 55 | 110 | +100% |
| Kelsey LaddPsychiatry | Mount Vernon | 43 | 86 | +100% |
| Vincent PorterPsychiatry | Louisville | 12 | 24 | +100% |
| Peter OliverPsychiatry | Prestonsburg | 159 | 322 | +102.5% |
| Gentry LaruePsychiatry | Lexington | 182 | 374 | +105.5% |
| Michael HarrisPsychiatry | Louisville | 784 | 1,891 | +141.2% |
| Stuart LarsonPsychiatry | Bowling Green | 371 | 939 | +153.1% |
| Ima EbongNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | 11 | 28 | +154.5% |
| Christopher StewartPsychiatry | Louisville | 47 | 120 | +155.3% |
| Vidyashree ChikkaramanjegowdaPsychiatry | Lexington | 26 | 68 | +161.5% |
| Michael LightPsychiatry | Shelbyville | 215 | 578 | +168.8% |
| Brian KeltyPsychiatry | Lexington | 128 | 345 | +169.5% |
| Brian CaseyPsychiatry | Louisville | 151 | 408 | +170.2% |
| Syed UmarPsychiatry | Somerset | 993 | 2,841 | +186.1% |
| Melissa SullivanPsychiatry | Louisville | 77 | 255 | +231.2% |
| Kim Grant-RolphPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 53 | 182 | +243.4% |
| Brian BriscoePsychiatry | Louisville | 14 | 51 | +264.3% |
| Asad IsmailPsychiatry | Louisville | 138 | 506 | +266.7% |
| Stephanie HallPsychiatry | Louisville | 77 | 343 | +345.5% |
| Ronald McgavicPsychiatry | Louisville | 70 | 374 | +434.3% |
| Maya ToddPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | 17 | 97 | +470.6% |
| Bethany CampbellPsychiatry | Crestview Hills | 52 | 305 | +486.5% |
| Jonathan MartinPsychiatry | Lexington | 72 | 606 | +741.7% |
| John WernertPsychiatry | Louisville | 26 | 246 | +846.2% |
| Annette ReynoldsPsychiatry | Erlanger | — | 652 | — |
| Benjamin SandersPsychiatry | Owensboro | — | 436 | — |
| Imran IqbalPsychiatry | Elizabethtown | — | 411 | — |
| Johnathan BilbroPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 390 | — |
| Tyler De WittPsychiatry | Elizabethtown | — | 302 | — |
| Amber WiremanPsychiatry & Neurology | Russell | — | 219 | — |
| Lisa CaldwellPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 165 | — |
| Erik RottermanPsychiatry | Owensboro | — | 150 | — |
| Justin MillerPsychiatry | Crestview Hills | — | 147 | — |
| Adam SmithPsychiatry | Leitchfield | — | 115 | — |
| Nicole GoodinPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 99 | — |
| Jennifer WoodPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 95 | — |
| Nicole AbbotPsychiatry | Crittenden | — | 84 | — |
| Elliott StanleyPsychiatry & Neurology | Covington | — | 84 | — |
| Lindsay NortonPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 70 | — |
| Hareem ArifPsychiatry & Neurology | Bowling Green | — | 67 | — |
| Huma QadirPsychiatry | Bowling Green | — | 66 | — |
| Tamera MeyerPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 63 | — |
| Kenneth LinPsychiatry | Crestview Hills | — | 61 | — |
| Leslie AslamPsychiatry & Neurology | Mount Sterling | — | 60 | — |
| Cameron TerrellPsychiatry & Neurology | Newport | — | 60 | — |
| Stephen LovePsychiatry | Covington | — | 57 | — |
| Brandon HoukAddiction Medicine | Elizabethtown | — | 53 | — |
| Cole CarlblomPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 53 | — |
| Amber WoodPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 51 | — |
| Daniel ThompsonPsychiatry & Neurology | Crestview Hills | — | 50 | — |
| Gopalkumar RakeshPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 49 | — |
| Jordan ClayNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | — | 48 | — |
| Victor ArballoPsychiatry | Hopkinsville | — | 45 | — |
| Sarah ParsonsPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 37 | — |
| Meenakshi GundumallaPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 36 | — |
| David DorbadPsychiatry & Neurology | Owensboro | — | 35 | — |
| Jane KimPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 33 | — |
| Benjamin MarshallPsychiatry & Neurology | Somerset | — | 32 | — |
| Courtney EavesPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 30 | — |
| Amit BhakhriPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 29 | — |
| Sean ButterbaughPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 27 | — |
| Ali FarooquiPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | — | 26 | — |
| Nathaniel AquinoPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 25 | — |
| Caitlyn GallowayPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 25 | — |
| Julie YoussefiNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | — | 25 | — |
| Tammy PenningtonPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 24 | — |
| Jacob MeredithPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 24 | — |
| Rachele YadonPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 23 | — |
| Mark LoudnerPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 22 | — |
| Leslie DallyAddiction Medicine | Bowling Green | — | 22 | — |
| Sandra ElamNeuropsychiatry | Louisville | — | 21 | — |
| Alberto BlasiPsychiatry & Neurology | Hazard | — | 21 | — |
| Sarah OrosPsychiatry | Lexington | — | 21 | — |
| Shiraz QalbaniNeuropsychiatry | Lexington | — | 20 | — |
| William FanninAddiction Medicine | Pikeville | — | 20 | — |
| Michael MillerPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | — | 18 | — |
| Kelly MoorePsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 17 | — |
| Jensen PotenzaPsychiatry | Owensboro | — | 17 | — |
| Christina WiseAddiction Medicine | Covington | — | 16 | — |
| Ronald GilleyPsychiatry | Madisonville | — | 15 | — |
| Lillian SvetePsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 15 | — |
| Samuel PotterPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 14 | — |
| Ayobola OloworaranPsychiatry | Harlan | — | 14 | — |
| Nathaniel BeachyNeuropsychiatry | Louisville | — | 13 | — |
| Julie ZudePsychiatry | Lexington | — | 12 | — |
| Debra KatzPsychiatry & Neurology | Lexington | — | 12 | — |
| Amy ShahPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 12 | — |
| David EasleyPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | — | 11 | — |
| Cynthia GawareckiPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 11 | — |
| Michele HinesPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | — | 11 | — |
| Cullen MarshallPsychiatry & Neurology | Louisville | — | 11 | — |
| Arthur OlivaPsychiatry | Louisville | — | 11 | — |
| Wayne EdwardsPsychiatry | Pikeville | 12 | 312 | +2500% |
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 Kentucky
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 Kentucky?
It fell 24% between 2013 and 2024 in Medicare Part D — a steeper fall than the country as a whole, where prescribing fell 12.9%. In 2024, Kentucky recorded 660,545 benzodiazepine claims across 113,357 patients.
How does Kentucky compare to other states?
Kentucky ranks 2 of 51 for prescribing intensity, at 5.83 benzodiazepine fills per patient per year, and 12 of 51 for the size of its decline since 2013 (1 being the steepest fall).
Which benzodiazepine is prescribed most in Kentucky?
Alprazolam, at 215,846 claims — 32.7% of the state's benzodiazepine prescribing in 2024. Next are Clonazepam (27.2%) and Lorazepam (20.4%).
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.