Changes to Depression Care Suite

In 2025, MN Community Measurement’s Measurement & Reporting Committee (MARC) reviewed the suite of Depression Care measures as part of its regular measure review cycle. After thorough discussion and thoughtful consideration, the committee ultimately decided on the following:

• Discontinue reporting on the 12-month measures (follow-up, response, and remission) for both adolescents and adults.
• Discontinue reporting on the PHQ-9/9M utilization measures for both adolescents and adults.
• Align six-month measure specifications with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) measure, Depression Remission or Response for Adolescents and Adults.
• Rename six-month measures to “4-8 Months” (e.g., “Response at 4-8 Months”) to better reflect the timeframe being measured.

To allow medical groups enough time to adjust workflows and prepare for the changes, the updates will be made in a phased approach:

• 2026 measurement year (for reporting in 2027): 12-month and PHQ-9 utilization measures will no longer be reported.
• 2027 measurement year (for reporting in 2028): Alignment with NCQA measure for six-month measures and name adjustments made. An updated measure specification document is attached to this article.

As the changes to the six-month measures are technical in nature and do not impact the measure intent or clinical work needed to meet the measure, MNCM will continue to publicly report the results through this transition. For trending purposes, a notation on the alignment with the NCQA measures will be provided with the results.

For more information on the rationale behind these decisions, view the MARC meeting notes at the links below:

September meeting | December meeting

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these upcoming changes, please contact support@mncm.org.