For years, ABHW, alongside many other organizations has worked to advance meaningful behavioral health quality measures that define, reward, and deliver quality care. As part of this sustained effort, ABHW advocated for the inclusion of a behavioral health focused measure in programs like Medicare Advantage. We were pleased to see CMS’s adoption of the first-ever behavioral health-specific clinical measure in the Medicare Advantage and Part D Star Ratings program. By establishing a composite measure focused on depression screening and 30-day follow-up after a positive screen, CMS is taking a meaningful step toward embedding behavioral health into the core of quality measurement. For too long, behavioral health has been underrepresented in performance frameworks that shape health plan priorities and drive system-wide improvement. This action signals a clear commitment to elevating behavioral health alongside physical health in Medicare.
The strength of this measure lies in its focus on prevention and early intervention. Depression screenings, paired with timely follow-up, create a pathway for identifying needs sooner and connecting individuals to appropriate care before conditions worsen. CMS has highlighted the importance of not just identifying risk, but ensuring that screening leads to action. This aligns closely with ABHW’s longstanding advocacy for practical, outcomes-oriented approaches that support patients across the continuum of care.
Importantly, this milestone advances the broader goal of whole-person care. Behavioral health conditions are deeply interconnected with chronic physical health conditions, and improving outcomes require integrated, coordinated approaches. Incorporating behavioral health into Star Ratings helps drive alignment across health plans, providers, and care delivery models, encouraging more seamless integration of services and greater accountability for patient outcomes. It also complements ongoing efforts to expand access through telehealth, value-based care models, and technology-enabled services.
While this is an important step forward, ABHW views it as the beginning, not the endpoint, of integrating behavioral health into quality measurement. Continued progress will require thoughtful expansion of measures that reflect the complexity of behavioral health care, support innovation, and remain feasible for health plans and providers to implement. ABHW looks forward to continuing to work with CMS and stakeholders to build on this momentum and ensure that quality measurement frameworks meaningfully advance access, integration, and high-quality care for individuals with behavioral health conditions.
