The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®)¹ is a widely used performance improvement tool. More specifically, it’s a core set of measures that provide an in-depth analysis of the quality of care that health care organizations provide their customers. Collectively, the 15 unique HEDIS measures for behavioral health help ensure that our customers — and your patients — receive affordable quality care when and where they need it most.

Antidepressant Medication Management

As one of the behavioral health HEDIS measures, Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM) uses two different rates to assess adults 18 years of age and older with a diagnosis of major depression. They include:

1. Effective Acute Phase Treatment: Adults who were (newly) treated with an antidepressant medication and remained on it for at least 12 weeks.
2. Effective Continuation Phase Treatment: Adults who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least six months.²

The AMM measure is important because major depression affects an individual’s daily life, including interruptions to sleep, diet, focus, energy, and self-esteem. Major depression can also lead to death by suicide, which is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States.²

ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES FOR EVERNORTH PARTICIPATING PROVIDERS

From January 2023 through December 2023, there was a significant increase in antidepressant medication adherence rates among Evernorth^® Behavioral Health (Evernorth) customers for both phases of treatment. However, we were still 4 percent short of meeting the HEDIS goal.

By working together, we can help meet this HEDIS measure and improve the lives of those diagnosed with major depression.

Tips to improve medication compliance

To help your patients comply with their medication treatment plans, consider the following tips:

• Provide text, email, and call reminders to patients to increase the likeliness that they will attend their scheduled appointments.
• Advise patients to schedule follow-up appointments prior to leaving your office.
• Reach out to those who cancel appointments and have not rescheduled.
• Collaborate with their other health care providers, if possible, to help address any barriers.
• Share your expectations that a medication may take several weeks to become effective and that they should call with any potential concerns and/or reactions.
• Stress the importance of medication compliance and engage them in collaborative decision-making in their treatment.
• Help them develop a medication schedule that is easy to follow and recommend a medication organizer that they can fill weekly.
• Address any misconceptions or doubts that they may have about taking their medication.
• Inform them that they should continue taking their medication even if they “feel fine” and emphasize the long-term benefits of continuing to take their medication.
• Stress that they should not stop taking medication abruptly or without consulting you first.

Additional Resources

For more information about the HEDIS measure for Antidepressant Medication Management, visit National Committee for Quality Assurance Antidepressant Medication Management and HEDIS Measures and Technical Resources (see Effectiveness of Care > Behavioral Health).

1. HEDIS^® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
2. NCQA: Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM).