Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up Plan

Percentage of patients aged 12 years and older screened for clinical depression using an age appropriate standardized tool AND follow-up plan documented.

Date Reviewed: November 19, 2017
Do Not Support: Uncertain Validity
    Group/Practice Individual Clinician

Measure Info

MIPS 134 NQF 0418 CMS 134 NQF Endorsed
Measure Type
Process
Measure Steward
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Clinical Topic Area
Depression
Care Setting
Outpatient
Data Source
Claims
CMS Web Interface
Electronic Health Records
Registry

ACP does not support QPP measure 134: "Preventive Care & Screening: Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up." While the measure aligns with United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for clinical depression, we suggest the denominator specifications exclude patients who are currently under the care of a mental health specialist for comorbid illness or severe cognitive impairment. Furthermore, developers should consider revising the denominator specifications to reflect patients seen in the calendar year instead of all patients. In addition, measure specifications do not define an appropriate screening frequency. It is not clear whether this measure applies to all patients in a providers’ panel or only those seen during the calendar year in a face-to-face visit.