Fairer quality scores for depression and anxiety care
Official title: Identifying and addressing bias in depression and anxiety quality measures
Funded at Kaiser Foundation Research Institute · NIH-11362602 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project checks whether depression and anxiety care ratings work fairly for different patients, especially Black patients, and aims to fix unfair scoring rules.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 7, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,028,635 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH137060-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362602 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with depression or anxiety who have completed self-reported outcome questionnaires during care, especially those treated in health systems that report HEDIS or MIPS measures, would be most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
People without mood or anxiety conditions, those who do not complete outcome surveys, or those receiving care outside systems that report these quality measures are unlikely to be directly affected.
What this research studies
Researchers will use patient-reported outcome scores and medical records to see how current quality ratings are calculated and who they help or hurt. They will test specific problems such as mixing very different patients into one measure, preferring remission over proportional improvement, using long outcome windows, and treating missing scores as failures. The team will compare results across populations, including people of Black race and those with complex treatment histories. They will propose clearer scoring rules and alternative measures intended to avoid penalizing clinics that serve disadvantaged patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make quality ratings and payment programs fairer so clinics serving disadvantaged patients are not unfairly penalized.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that some quality measures can be biased and that alternative metrics can reduce disparities, but applying such fixes within national reporting and payment programs is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
Oakland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shortreed, Susan M — Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Shortreed, Susan M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.