Aetna plans to pay primary care physicians for depression management

On Nov. 2, one of the nation’s largest insurers announced a pilot project designed to provide incentives to primary care physicians for screening and treating depression. The first phase of the program will involve 120 select physician offices in Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, but the intention is to roll it out nationally after several months of testing, says Jill Griffiths, a spokesperson for Aetna in Hartford, Conn.

“The Texas Academy of Family Physicians is excited to see that Aetna, one of the largest managed care organizations in the country, is pursuing a preventive strategy for the identification and treatment of depression, a disease that is increasing at an alarming rate,” says TAFP President Samuel T. Coleridge, D.O. “Depression not only affects the patient but also his or her family and friends. When employed, depression adversely affects co-workers and results in lost productivity and unhappiness for everyone. It is imperative that primary care physicians, such as family physicians, be intimately involved in any comprehensive program to treat depressed patients, and that there are no barriers to treatment in the form of referrals or medications.”

“We know depression can be effectively treated and that 80 percent of patients who receive appropriate treatment feel better physically and emotionally. Early intervention will improve medical outcomes and that is why we want to involve primary care physicians, where symptoms can first be recognized,” said Mary Fox, head of Aetna Behavioral Health, in the company’s press release.

“However, we also know primary care physicians face tight time constraints in treating all their patients and that screening and properly assessing patients for depression takes time. That is why we are providing financial reimbursement for their services, easy-to-use tools, and a clinically proven model to coordinate care management. By bringing this direct focus on the early treatment of depression, we can make sure our members get improved mental health care,” Fox said.

Reimbursement for screening and treatment of depression should be 30 to 40 percent higher for participating physicians, according to a November 2 story in The New York Times. Physicians wanting to take part in the project should go to http://www.aetna.com/aetnadepressionmanagement/.