Objectives: To assess the association of HEDIS C&M phase follow-up measure with ADHD medication adherence.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using Medicaid data (2014-2016) of children initiated with ADHD medication. Patients were categorized as meeting the C&M follow-up measure or not according to the HEDIS specifications. Medication adherence was measured using both Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) & Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM). The association of medication adherence with HEDIS measure was assessed using Chi-square test.
Results: Nearly all (97%) children with PDC≥0.7 and 72% of patients following the late decliner adherence trajectory met the HEDIS C&M follow-up criteria. In contrast, none of the children with PDC<0.7 and only two following rapid and slow decliner trajectories met the criteria.
Conclusion: ADHD medication adherence, regardless of how it was measured, clearly differentiated children with and without C&M phase follow-up, which essentially questions the implication of HEDIS C&M phase follow-up care measure.
Keywords: ADHD; Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM); Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS); adherence trajectory; continuous & maintenance follow-up rate; initiation follow-up rate.