Thank you for inquiring about the Preventive Care and Screening: Screening for Depression and Follow-Up Plan eCQM. You are correct that RxNorm code 205535 is not in the current Adolescent Depression Medications value set, as this is labeled as the brand drug (Prozac) within RxNorm, as opposed to the generic formulation included across all eCQMs using medication value sets. We understand the workflow burden involved in measure implementation. In this instance, you may consider mapping the branded code to a generic code used in the measure rather than recommending that the provider site(s) modify clinical workflows. Please refer to the following guidance from CMS on RxNorm Use in Quality Measures, “While the Blueprint content includes branded TTYs in the guidance, authoring guidance has encouraged measure developers not to include branded term types because changes in branded identifiers for any single general drug (such as a Semantic Clinical Drug [SCD]) occur throughout the year and, even with the inclusion of value set addendum releases, there can be value sets that are out of sync with some implementer system content. Also, it provides for impartiality reducing the perception of branded drug favoritism. Given that RxNorm application content (and all drug information vendor products) can be used to map from the more stable general identifier to a branded identifier, and from other code systems such as National Drug Code (NDC) or proprietary code systems, the branded RxNorm TTYs were often not included under the assumption that if an implementer had a different identifier, the implementer could map to the included SCD RXCUI or generic pack (GPCK) RXCUI or any other TTY and ID according to the intention.” ( https://mmshub.cms.gov/measure-lifecycle/measure-specification/specify-code/RxNorm )

Burden to Provider and organization, Provider prescribing medication identified in value set for depression tx, code is not accepted by quality measure. Requesting Provider make unnecessary changes to workflow, patient tx and Provider Rx practices is burdensome for sake of measure