Preparing for CMS Changes: 3 Lessons from Industry Leaders on the Future of Behavioral Health Screening 

“CMS made it very clear that they intend to focus increasingly on clinical outcome and member experience metrics… and because there will be fewer measures, the relative weight of each remaining measure will go up.”

Sean Martin, MD – Chief Medical Officer

As CMS prepares to add Depression Screening and Follow-Up (DSF) to the official Stars measure set for contract year 2027, health plans face a narrowing window to act. In a recent Lucet webinar, Sean Martin, MD (Chief Medical Officer) and Liz Jones (VP, Quality & Clinical Strategy) outlined what plans must prioritize now to succeed once the measure begins to count. 

Their insights reveal a consistent message: DSF is more than another requirement. It signals a shift toward coordinated systems, real-time data readiness and closing the loop on behavioral health. Below are the top three takeaways for organizations preparing for what’s ahead. 

With fewer Stars measures, DSF will carry greater weight 

CMS plans to eliminate a significant number of measures, which means each remaining measure will matter more. DSF will not be a marginal add-on, and will now materially influence overall performance. 
 
“CMS made it very clear that they intend to focus increasingly on clinical outcome and member experience metrics… and because there will be fewer measures, the relative weight of each remaining measure will go up,” said Martin. 

He also cautioned that today’s benchmarks are misleadingly low, saying, “This has been a challenging measure for a number of health plans, and you need to assume benchmarks are going to rise quickly as plans begin to gear up before it counts toward Stars.” 

The takeaway: plans that wait to act will risk being outpaced as the field rapidly tightens. 

Embedding screening into primary care workflows is essential 

Both speakers pointed to primary care as the most powerful point of influence, but only if screening fits seamlessly into existing routines. Overburdened practices are unlikely to adopt any process that adds steps, time or new platforms. 
 
“You have to get into primary care workflows,” Dr. Martin said. “Embedding screening into what practices already do is where you’ll see real uptake.” 

Jones reinforced that success depends on meeting clinicians where they already work, not creating parallel systems, saying, “Primary care is where depression screening can truly scale but only if we meet providers where they are and embed screening, triage and connection to care directly into their workflows.” 

Embedding screening into check-in forms, digital intake or EHR-integrated tools reduces friction and encourages consistency. 

“The challenge isn’t awareness or intent. It’s execution across a fragmented system and getting the data infrastructure in place so plans can submit what counts for Stars.”

Liz Jones – VP, Quality & Clinical Strategy

The biggest barrier is fragmented data infrastructure 

While screenings are occurring, they often don’t count because they aren’t captured in a structured, reportable way. Without consolidated data pathways, even strong clinical execution fails to translate into Stars performance. 
 
“The challenge isn’t awareness or intent,” said Jones. “It’s execution across a fragmented system and getting the data infrastructure in place so plans can submit what counts for Stars.” 

She also explained why DSF often underperforms despite meaningful work happening behind the scenes. 
 
“Screening sounds straightforward, but without a coordinated ecosystem-based approach to data capture, the work is happening but becomes invisible from a Stars perspective.” 

Plans need integrated, multi-channel data capture that works across primary care, in-home assessments, digital entry points and behavioral health partners. 

The path forward 

Our experts’ message is clear: DSF performance hinges on alignment across workflows, data flow and partnerships. Here’s what to keep in mind in the coming year 

• DSF screening numbers are traditionally low across health care — but changing Stars requirements means plans have to re-think mental health screening strategy 

• Plans have an opportunity to build a “multichannel front door” that captures members anywhere they could be screened for mental health: in primary care, by calling their health plan, via self-service or even during an at-home visit 

• The right solution can streamline these points of entry to create a unified backend where data flows seamlessly into one place for improved reporting 

The upcoming CMS Stars changes are a chance for plans to improve performance and make meaningful strides in behavioral health access. The health plans that start now will be best positioned when the measure goes live. 

Rachel Jenkins is marketing manager at Lucet.