We would like to clarify that this reporting measure may be utilized for all patients with a diagnosis of MDD, New Episode either (i) when they are first prescribed a medication intended to be tried for at least 12 weeks or (ii) at the completion of a 12-week course of antidepressant medication.  Therefore, this reporting measure may be utilized either at the beginning of the 12-week period or at the completion of the 12-week period and may be reported in connection with both new patient codes (e.g., 90792 and 99201-99205) as well as established patient codes. 

In light of the short time frame for avoiding the 2015 payment reduction (as of this writing, August-December 2013), we strongly suggest that members also consider using Measure #130 (Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record).  This reporting measure may be utilized at any time during treatment and simply requires documentation in the medical record of all medications the patient is currently taking, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, herbals and vitamin/mineral/dietary supplements.  The list must include the name of the medication, dosage, frequency and route of administration.   We anticipate that this information will be fairly simple to obtain from the patient and routine confirmation of current medications also reflects sound medical practice.  

Finally, as noted in our website article, there are more than 250 measures available for reporting in 2013.  For a complete list of available measures, click here.