The HEDIS measure Antidepressant Medication Management shows the percentage of members 18 years of age and older who were treated with antidepressant medication, had a diagnosis of major depression, and who remained on an antidepressant medication treatment. The measure looks at two rates -the effective acute phase and the effective continuation phase. Details about each phase, as well as tips for success, are listed below:
Measure
Measure population
Tips for success
Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM)
Effective acute phase treatment: The percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 84 days (12 weeks)
Effective continuation phase treatment: The percentage of members who remained on an antidepressant medication for at least 180 days (six months)
A follow-up office visit to assess symptoms should be conducted at 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. Patients should be reminded that symptom alleviation may take two to four weeks and that it can sometimes take up to eight weeks for the medication to fully work. Patients should also be reminded to continue to take medications for at least six months even if symptoms improve.