region/plan-specific news
: Commercial Health Plans - excluding California
Patient safety depends on coordinating care
Each year, Magellan conducts a patient safety survey with our network providers who serve members of commercial health plans.
If you completed our patient safety survey in 2025, thank you for participating, and most importantly for ensuring your clinical practices promote patient safety!
We distribute the survey to inpatient and residential facilities, and psychiatrists practicing in groups or in individual practice. The survey asks questions about activities and monitoring processes related to behavioral health safety measures, including coordination and transition of care, and medication management.
Magellan focuses on patient safety in two major areas of care and service
- Communication across the continuum of care, and especially at times of transition:
- Coordination of care between behavioral health providers
- Coordination of care between behavioral health providers and primary care providers (PCPs)
- Medication management and medication reconciliation:
- The use of second-generation antipsychotics per APA guidelines
- The use of anti-craving medications to support abstinence
- Performing weight/waist circumference/lab tests at start of medication, as a repeat measure, and assessing for movement side effects using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)
Results (excluding California plans):
The 2025 overall response rate of 7.74% reflects a decrease compared to the last two years of survey distribution (9.7% in 2024 and 9.7% in 2023).
|
Key Survey Items |
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
Target |
|
Percentage of Positive Responses: (Always or Often) |
Bold = Improved in 2025 Italic = Meeting or exceeding target in 2025 |
|
||
|
Contact patient’s primary care provider to share information about the case |
40% |
41% |
52% |
80% |
|
Discuss history of adverse medication reactions with PCPs |
46% |
44% |
62% |
80% |
|
Provide discharge instructions or treatment summary to patient |
76% |
74% |
82% |
80% |
|
Send discharge summary and labs to PCP |
66% |
51% |
63% |
80% |
|
Assess medication compliance at each visit |
83% |
87% |
92% |
80% |
|
Develop a plan if history of medication non-compliance is noted |
90% |
87% |
93% |
80% |
|
Prescribe anti-craving medication to support abstinence |
65% |
76% |
90% |
80% |
|
Send information about medication to other treating providers |
85% |
85% |
77% |
80% |
|
Perform weight/waist circumference/lab tests at start of medication |
74% |
82% |
89% |
80% |
|
Assess Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) annually for movement side effects |
74% |
83% |
91% |
80% |
In 2025, four measures improved compared to the prior year. Of the 10 total measures, three met established targets, while three declined from the previous two years. The measures furthest from target continue to involve communication with the patient’s PCP, including sharing information about adverse medication reactions.
What you can do:
- Ask patients to authorize communication with their PCP to improve coordination of care.
- Communicate with treating providers and/or PCPs, via email, phone, fax, or mail. See our sample Clinician Communication Form (PDF).
- Discuss any adverse medication reactions with the patient’s PCP.
- Educate patients and family members, as appropriate, about benefits, risks, and side effects of medications.
- Prescribe anti-craving medication to support abstinence.
- Share discharge summaries with patients, other behavioral health providers and the patient’s PCP to improve coordination of care.
- Perform weight/waist circumference/lab tests at the start of medication, as a repeat measure, and assess for movement side-effects using the AIMS.
Magellan continues to evaluate patient safety best practices and support providers by reporting insights from these surveys that can aid in improving member care.
We appreciate your responses and assistance with our quality improvement activities.
Please contact Bonita Anderson, senior director of quality, at AndersonB2@MagellanHealth.com with questions or feedback.