Patient and Treatment Characteristics Associated With Receipt of Core Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in VA Mental Health.

Objective: Measurement-based care (MBC) has been implemented in Veterans Affairs since 2016 and is increasingly used in other mental health care organizations. Little quantitative research exists that assesses patient-level barriers and facilitators of MBC. This study examines correlates of receiving patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) among veterans receiving both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (Both), psychotherapy only (Psychotherapy), and pharmacotherapy only (Pharmacotherapy).

Risk of smoking and receipt of cessation services among veterans with mental disorders.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine rates of smoking and receipt of provider recommendations to quit smoking among patients with mental disorders treated in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) treatment settings.

Who receives outpatient monitoring during high-risk depression treatment periods?

Objectives: To examine the intensity of monitoring received by important patient subgroups during high-risk periods (the 12 weeks after psychiatric hospitalization and after new antidepressant starts).

Design: Retrospective secondary analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs (VA) National Registry for Depression using patients aged 65 and older receiving depression treatment from 1999 to 2004.

Setting: VA healthcare system.

Does consideration of Medicare use affect VA evaluations of treatment for new episodes of depression?

This report evaluates whether consideration of out-of-system use affects Veterans Affairs (VA) health system assessments of depression treatment. We measured effective medication management and optimal practitioner contacts among veterans whose VA data indicated a new episode of depression. Among 3,567 VA patients who were Medicare age-eligible, VA data indicated that 69% received recommended antidepressant coverage and 9% received recommended practitioner contacts.

The prevalence and predictors of mental health treatment services in a national sample of depressed veterans.

Background: Few studies of acute depression care have examined the provision of psychotherapy or combined treatment in addition to medication management. This study examined acute phase depression treatment in the VA healthcare system, including measures of medication treatment (MT), psychotherapy (PT), and combined treatment (CT = MT plus PT). Both low level care (receipt of any MT, PT, or CT, but all below guideline levels) as well as guideline concordant care (GC MT, PT, and CT) were examined.

What happened to lithium? Antidepressant augmentation in clinical settings.

Objective: Antidepressant augmentation is recommended when patients do not respond to antidepressant monotherapy. However, little is know about antidepressant augmentation in clinical settings and whether these practices reflect the research evidence.

Method: The authors identified 244,859 patients in Veterans Administration mental health settings with a diagnosis of depression and an antidepressant prescription during fiscal year 2002.