New Clinical Practice Guideline for Obesity Adopted; Depression Guideline Revised
Magellan recently approved the adoption of an obesity clinical practice guideline, as well as text revisions to the Magellan introduction to the depression guideline. These clinical practice guidelines serve as the evidence-based framework for practitioners’ clinical decision-making for the treatment of patients with those conditions.
Obesity
Magellan adopted the Position of the American Dietetic Association: Weight Management (2009). This guideline replaces the previously adopted Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, The Evidence Report, NIH Publication No. 98-4083 (1998) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction, Executive Report (2004) with the 2007 revisions.
The position paper published by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) also is endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine. The following ADA position statement provides the foundation for their recommendations:
Successful weight management to improve overall health for adults requires a lifelong commitment to healthful lifestyle and behaviors emphasizing sustainable and enjoyable eating practices and daily physical activity.
The ADA position presents a framework for the assessment of obesity, principals on the regulation of food intake, and goals/recommendations for weight management. It also incorporates current evidence-based information on the following:
- Physical activity
- Dieting
- Behavioral interventions
- Pharmacotherapy
- Surgery
- Developments in weight maintenance.
Depressive Disorders
Magellan made text revisions to our Introduction to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Depressive Disorders to be consistent with both the APA Guideline Watch for the Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder, 2nd Edition, and the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) Health Care Guideline: Major Depression in Adults in Primary Care, Twelfth Edition, recommending long-term maintenance treatment with antidepressants in order to prevent relapse and recurrence of depression.
Use of Guidelines
We encourage you to be familiar with the information in the Magellan Introductions, as well as the information in all guidelines.
All Magellan-adopted clinical practice guidelines are intended to augment, not replace, your sound clinical judgment. However, when you decide to provide care that does not adhere to a Magellan-adopted guideline, please be sure that the clinical record reflects that you weighed the recommendations in the guideline against the member’s clinical status and needs, and planned a clinically appropriate course of action.
Obtaining Copies of the Guidelines
Visit the Clinical Practice Guideline page of this provider website for information on how to obtain copies of guidelines.
Provider Feedback
We welcome your input on our adopted clinical practice guidelines. We will take all suggestions and recommendations into consideration in our next review. Submit comments to your local Magellan provider advisory group or local Magellan medical director, or e-mail comments to Kathleen Frampton at KKFrampton@MagellanHealth.com.