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Timely follow-up appointments help ensure better patient outcomes

Key dates to know when scheduling FUH, FUM, and FUA appointments at year's end

You’re likely already aware that meeting HEDIS standards* can help providers align their practices with evidence-based guidelines, improve patient outcomes, and support commercial, Medicare, Medicaid HMO, POS and PPO plans in delivering high-quality, consistent care.

As the current HEDIS measurement year ends, Magellan asks you to keep in mind the following key timeframes for when scheduling follow-up appointments:

Key dates for the FUH, FUM, and FUA measures:

• Discharges through Dec. 1, 2025, from psychiatric hospitalizations or emergency department visits for mental illness or substance use are included in the current measurement year.
• Discharges or visits after Dec. 1 are excluded, as there isn’t a full 30-day window for required follow-up before year-end.

Timely follow-up appointments within 7 or 30 days are essential for:

• FUH — Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness
• FUM — Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness
• FUA — Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Substance Use

Remember:  

• Follow-up visits may be completed with any outpatient provider, including PCPs, for any mental health diagnosis (FUH, FUM).

• Phobia and anxiety diagnoses are now included in FUH and FUM measures and require timely follow-up care.

• Peer support services and community mental health visits qualify as follow-up.
• FUH and FUM follow-ups may occur in behavioral health settings and include psychiatric collaborative care management services.
• Residential psychiatric treatment counts for FUH and FUM, while FUA requires follow-up in non-residential substance use treatment settings.

Ways to support patients

• Coordinate with discharging facilities or emergency departments to ensure timely follow-up.
• Encourage patients to complete follow-up visits promptly.
• Use medication management appointments to reinforce follow-up importance.
• Educate patients about:
• Why follow-up care matters
• Managing medication side effects
• Recognizing and addressing suicide risk
• Be aware of populations at higher risk or missed follow-ups.

*About HEDIS

HEDIS^® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) measures are a set of performance indicators developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) to assess the quality of care and services provided by health plans. More than 90% of America's health plans use HEDIS to measure performance on critical dimensions of care and service.

For more information on behavioral health HEDIS measures, visit www.ncqa.org/hedis.