Provider resources
Supporting providers and their patients through diagnosis, claim reimbursements, education, self-care and treatments for depression
Validated depression screenings
Validated depression screenings are brief tools used to effectively identify and assess individuals who present with depressive symptoms. Diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for depression can lead to a significant improvement in a patient’s health.
Validated screening tools
The PHQ offers different screenings (in multiple languages) you can complete to help health care providers diagnose and treat mental health disorders.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a screening tool that does diagnose postpartum depression (PPD) or anxiety.
This is a simple yes/no questionnaire of 30 questions that can help identify possible depression in the elderly.
PROMIS is a set of tools that are used to measure mental health outcomes. It can be used to recognize signs of depression in children aged 5-17 and adults.
Provider support
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Aetna provider page
Mental illness can be hard to identify. Especially among certain patient populations.
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Culturally relevant CME education
No cost to you, free education credits (CEUs) to participate in equitable depression screenings into your practice. Find resources for early identification and follow-up.
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National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) offers authoritative information about mental disorders, a range of related topics, and the latest mental health research.
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Podcast for health care professionals
Join us for informal, insightful conversations with Aetna® health care professionals and other industry experts about topics that matter to you, your practice, and your patients.
Reimbursement codes
CPT codes for depression screeners
You can be reimbursed for using depression screeners. For timely payment and reimbursement use the following diagnostic code Z13.31 in conjunction with one of the billing codes below:
- CPT code 96127 - For conducting brief emotional and behavioral assessments performed with standardized instruments
- CPT code 96127 - For administering screenings, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
- G0444 - For annual depression screening for Medicare patients
- CPT code 96160 - For Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Screening for depression in pregnant or postpartum
Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC)
LOINC helps providers and payers speak the same language, just like CPT codes. The benefit of LOINC is that it complies with new standards for electronic claims attachments. See below for helpful codes.
