The HEDIS measure Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM) applies to the percentage of members who are 18 years of age and older, and were treated with antidepressant medication, had a diagnosis of major depression, and remained on antidepressant medication treatment. The measure focuses on two rates – the effective acute phase and the effective continuation phase. Detailed information on this measure is in the following table:
Measure
Measure population
Tips for success
Antidepressant Medication Management
The effective acute phase: Treatment refers to the percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 84 days (12 weeks).
The effective continuation phase: Treatment refers to the percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (six months).
The effective continuation phase: Treatment refers to the percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (six months).
- Schedule a follow-up office visit to assess symptoms within a maximum of six weeks.
- Visits should be sufficiently frequent to optimize adherence. (Roughly half of all patients treated for depression stop taking their medication within the first month.)
- Remind patients that symptom alleviation may take between two and four weeks. It can sometimes take up to eight weeks for medication to become fully effective.