Insights / Physician specialty marketing

Depression screening outreach: USPSTF adult and teen grades, suicide risk I statements, Medicare annual screening, 988 and 911 lines and online self-checks

Depression screening outreach: USPSTF adult and teen grades, suicide risk I statements, Medicare yearly screening, 988 and 911 lines, online self-checks.

Depression screening is a short set of questions asked in a primary care visit, and that is exactly why its marketing needs care. A reminder to “get your depression screening” can tell whoever reads the patient’s phone more than the patient wanted to share. A free online quiz can collect an answer about thoughts of suicide on a form that nobody reads until Monday. A page can promise a recovery, imply a diagnosis from a score, or sell a screening the USPSTF has not found enough evidence to recommend. This guide covers how a primary care, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatric, OB-GYN or geriatric practice, a school-based or community health center, or an integrated behavioral health team can invite patients to depression screening on the USPSTF recommendations and the Medicare rules as written, keep the recommendation and the coverage apart, and put the 988 and 911 lines wherever a person in crisis might land.

Thirteen related topics have their own guides and are not repeated here. Care after a positive screen is covered in our guides to behavioral health integration outreach, psychiatric practice marketing, therapist private practice marketing, TMS clinic marketing and ketamine clinic marketing. The practices that screen are covered in our guides to primary care practice marketing, pediatric practice marketing, OB-GYN practice marketing and school-based health center marketing. Medicare visits and ongoing care are covered in our guides to annual wellness visit outreach, marketing to Medicare patients and chronic care management marketing, and virtual visits in our guide to telehealth marketing. For the alcohol screening grade and brief counseling wording, see alcohol screening outreach.

This is general information, not legal or medical advice. Sources cited were checked on October 30, 2026: the USPSTF final recommendations Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: Screening (June 20, 2023), Anxiety Disorders in Adults: Screening (June 20, 2023), Depression and Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents: Screening (October 11, 2022) and Perinatal Depression: Preventive Interventions (February 12, 2019), the USPSTF Recommendations in Progress page, the HHS announcement of new Task Force members (September 17, 2026) posted on the USPSTF site, the Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management (June 27, 2025), the Medicare.gov page Depression screening, the NIMH pages Depression (last reviewed December 2024) and Suicide Prevention (last reviewed August 2026), the SAMHSA page 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (last updated September 26, 2025, read through an archived copy), the 988 Lifeline site, and 42 CFR 410.15 and 410.16. Medical advertising rules are also set state by state. Check them with your counsel before a campaign runs.

What the federal sources say

The USPSTF makes the screening recommendations, Medicare.gov and the federal regulations say what Medicare covers and what its preventive visits include, NIMH publishes the public health information, and SAMHSA runs the 988 Lifeline. The points that shape depression screening outreach:

  • The USPSTF final recommendation Depression and Suicide Risk in Adults: Screening (June 20, 2023) recommends screening for depression in the adult population, including pregnant and postpartum persons and older adults (grade B). It applies to adults 19 or older who do not have a diagnosed mental health disorder and are not showing recognized signs or symptoms of depression or suicide risk, and it recommends screening regardless of risk factors.
  • The same page concludes that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for suicide risk in adults, including pregnant and postpartum persons and older adults (an I statement). It says all positive screening results should lead to additional assessments to confirm the diagnosis, determine symptom severity and identify other psychological problems, and that there is little evidence on the best timing or interval for screening.
  • The USPSTF final recommendation Depression and Suicide Risk in Children and Adolescents: Screening (October 11, 2022) recommends screening for major depressive disorder in adolescents aged 12 to 18 (grade B). It finds the evidence insufficient for screening children 11 or younger for depression, and insufficient for screening children and adolescents for suicide risk (I statements).
  • The USPSTF final recommendation Anxiety Disorders in Adults: Screening (June 20, 2023) recommends screening for anxiety disorders in adults 64 or younger, including pregnant and postpartum persons (grade B), and finds the evidence insufficient for adults 65 or older (an I statement). It says screening tools alone are insufficient to diagnose anxiety disorders.
  • The USPSTF final recommendation Perinatal Depression: Preventive Interventions (February 12, 2019) recommends that clinicians provide or refer pregnant and postpartum persons at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions (grade B). The page shows an update in progress.
  • The Medicare.gov page Depression screening (no date shown, checked October 30, 2026) says Part B covers one depression screening a year, that it must take place in a primary care setting, like a doctor’s office, where the person can get follow-up treatment or referrals, that the person pays nothing if the provider accepts assignment, and that follow-up treatment or a mental health provider may carry a copayment or coinsurance.
  • The NIMH page Depression (last reviewed December 2024) says depression can cause severe symptoms that affect how a person feels, thinks and handles daily activities, and that it is a risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The NIMH page Suicide Prevention (last reviewed August 2026) tells a person who is struggling or having thoughts of suicide to call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, and to call 911 in life-threatening situations.
  • The SAMHSA page 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (last updated September 26, 2025, read through an archived copy) says 988 offers support around the clock for mental health, substance use and more, by text, call or chat, and links to a 988 Partner Toolkit with key messages and logo and branding materials. The 988 Lifeline site, checked October 30, 2026, says its text and chat services are available in Spanish.

The adult recommendation dates from 2023, so we checked whether it is being redone. On October 30, 2026, the adult and adolescent recommendation pages showed no update in progress, and the USPSTF Recommendations in Progress page listed Perinatal Depression: Preventive Interventions at the final stage before publication. A page about pregnancy or postpartum mental health should be checked again when that recommendation is final.

The Task Force itself has changed. In Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, decided June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court held that Task Force members are inferior officers whose appointment by the Secretary of HHS is consistent with the Appointments Clause, with their work directed and supervised by the Secretary. On September 17, 2026, HHS announced eight new members who join the eight members already serving. Neither event changed the depression screening recommendations as of October 30, 2026, and we could not confirm developments after that date. A practice page should quote the recommendation in force on the day it is written and record that date in its review notes.

Two points shape the marketing. First, the grades differ by age and by question: depression screening is grade B for adolescents 12 to 18 and for adults, while screening children 11 or younger for depression, and anyone for suicide risk, are I statements, which means the USPSTF found too little evidence to recommend for or against. A page that sells a suicide risk screening as recommended care overstates the source. Second, a screening is a set of questions, not a diagnosis. A score points to a conversation and a further assessment, and a person in crisis needs 988 or 911, not an appointment next week.

Screening pages and claims that need rewriting

Google’s search suggestions, which we checked on October 30, 2026, offer “depression screening test”, “depression screening questions” and “depression screening for teens” to a person who types “depression screening” or “depression screening for”, and “depression screening near me” and “how to get a depression screening” to a person who types “depression screening near”. For “depression test” they offer “depression test free online” and “depression test for teens”, and for “postpartum depression screening” they offer “postpartum depression screening questions” and “postpartum depression screening test”. Suggestions with code and score terms belong to the billing and clinical staff, not the patient page. The pattern is clear: people look for a quick test, for themselves or for a child, and a practice page has to explain that the test is the start of a visit, not the answer.

A page that holds up names the USPSTF and the date of each recommendation, says who the screening is for, explains that it is a few questions asked by the care team, says what happens after a positive result, states the Medicare and private plan rules with their conditions, and puts the 988 and 911 lines above the booking button.

Phrases that need rewriting:

  • “Take our free depression test and find out if you’re depressed.” A screening result is not a diagnosis. The USPSTF says positive results lead to further assessment to confirm the diagnosis. Say the questions help the care team decide whether to talk further.
  • “Beat depression in 30 days” or “our program cures depression.” An outcome promise about a mental health condition with no source. Describe the follow-up care the practice offers, who provides it and how to reach them.
  • “Everyone should be screened for suicide risk.” The USPSTF found the evidence insufficient for suicide risk screening in adults, children and adolescents. A clinician may still ask; the page should not present it as a recommended screening.
  • “Screen your 8-year-old for depression today.” The USPSTF found the evidence insufficient for children 11 or younger. A page for younger children should invite parents to raise concerns with the pediatric clinician, not sell a screening.
  • “Anxiety screening for seniors, recommended by experts.” The USPSTF anxiety recommendation covers adults 64 or younger; for 65 or older it is an I statement. Keep anxiety and depression screening claims separate and age-matched.
  • “Depression screening is free for everyone.” Medicare.gov says the person pays nothing if the provider accepts assignment, and follow-up care may carry costs; private plan rules depend on the plan. State the conditions, or say the practice checks coverage first.
  • “Feeling hopeless? Book online now.” A person who feels hopeless may be in crisis. Put the 988 line and the 911 line before the booking button, not after it.
  • “Our clinic has helped hundreds of patients feel like themselves again.” Numbers and results with no source. Remove them unless they come from the practice’s own documented and reviewed records, with their date and limits stated.

Under 15 U.S.C. 45, deceptive acts or practices in commerce are unlawful, and 15 U.S.C. 52 prohibits false advertisements likely to induce the purchase of drugs, devices, services or cosmetics. The FTC staff Health Products Compliance Guidance says claims about the health benefits or safety of health-related products require competent and reliable scientific evidence, and that an advertiser is responsible for the claims its ads convey, including implied ones. Quoting the federal sources as written, with each one named and dated, stays inside that standard; turning a federal statement into a promise to the reader does not.

Symptoms, urgent signs and 988 and 911 on every page and in every tool

A screening page is read by people who feel fine, by worried parents and partners, and by people who are struggling right now. The page has to work for the last group first. The Medicare.gov depression screening page itself puts the lines where they belong: if you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988, the free and confidential Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is staffed around the clock and also offers chat at 988lifeline.org, and call 911 if you are in immediate medical crisis. NIMH gives the same two numbers for the same two situations.

Put plain lines above the booking button, on flyers, on posters in the waiting room and in reminders: if you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org; if a life is in danger right now, call 911. Use 988 as the only crisis number on the page, so a reader does not have to choose between lines. Use the key messages and logo materials in SAMHSA’s 988 Partner Toolkit rather than drawing a new logo or rewording the service, and check what the Lifeline offers on its own site on the day the page is written, rather than listing menu options that may change.

The same wording belongs in voicemail, after-hours greetings, portal replies, text replies, chat and AI front desk tools. A tool should send any message that mentions suicide, self-harm, wanting to die, or a danger to someone’s life to the 988 and 911 lines at once and alert staff, pass questions about symptoms, medicines or a test result to a clinician, and never tell a person whether they are depressed, whether a score is serious or whether they can wait for a visit. A message that comes in after hours to a channel nobody watches needs an automatic reply with both lines. Our guides to the AI chatbot on a practice website and answering service versus AI receptionist cover how tools hand off these messages.

Online self-checks, forms and results

“Depression test free online” is a search people make, and a self-check on a practice site can bring them to care. It also creates risks that a printed questionnaire in an exam room does not have. Nobody is watching a web form in real time, and the answers say something sensitive about the person.

For an online self-check, keep these points:

  • Say at the top, in plain words, that the self-check is not a diagnosis and does not replace a visit, and put the 988 and 911 lines above the first question.
  • Leave out any question about thoughts of suicide or self-harm unless a clinician reviews answers in real time. A form that asks the question and sends the answer to an inbox for the next business day has asked without anyone ready to respond. If the practice uses a questionnaire that includes such a question, ask it in the visit or a monitored portal, under the clinician’s protocol.
  • Show 988 and 911 on every result screen, whatever the score, and offer a way to book a visit or call the practice.
  • Do not label the reader by score (“you have moderate depression”). Say the answers suggest it would be worth talking with a clinician, and that the care team will ask more questions.
  • Do not save or send answers unless the person chooses to, and do not pass answers, scores or the result page address to analytics or ad tools.
  • Have the practice’s clinicians choose the questions and review the wording, and record who approved it and when.

Our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites covers the setup for keeping self-check answers and result pages out of tracking tools.

Who to invite: adults, older adults, teens and new parents

The adult recommendation covers adults 19 or older, including pregnant and postpartum persons and older adults, who do not already have a diagnosed mental health disorder. That makes the invitation simple: it is part of routine care, not a sign that something is wrong.

Keep these points:

  • Adults: say the care team asks a few questions about mood as part of routine visits, as the USPSTF recommends for adults. Do not single out groups by labels or past history in the message.
  • Older adults: the USPSTF depression recommendation includes adults 65 or older, while its anxiety recommendation stops at 64. A page for older patients can invite depression screening and should not promise anxiety screening as a recommended service. Our guide to anxiety screening outreach covers the anxiety age groups, the chest pain line and calming claims.
  • Teens 12 to 18: address the teen as well as the parent, explain that the care team may talk with the teen privately for part of the visit, and say what the practice keeps private and what it shares, in words the practice’s counsel has reviewed.
  • Pregnancy and after birth: the adult recommendation includes pregnant and postpartum persons, and the 2019 perinatal recommendation adds counseling for those at increased risk. Say the care team asks about mood during pregnancy and after birth, and recheck the perinatal recommendation when its update is final.
  • Children 11 or younger: there is no USPSTF recommendation for screening. Invite parents to tell the pediatric clinician about worries, and do not run a screening campaign for this age group.
  • People already in care for a mental health condition: the recommendation is for people without a diagnosis. Send them messages about their own care, not a screening invitation.

Our guides to pediatric practice marketing, school-based health center marketing and OB-GYN practice marketing cover the wider rules for those pages.

After the screen: follow-up care and what the page can promise

The USPSTF ties the value of screening to what happens next: positive results lead to further assessment, and the care that follows. Medicare.gov ties coverage to the same idea, requiring a setting where the person can get follow-up treatment or referrals. A page should say what the practice offers after a positive screen, whether that is a visit with the primary care clinician, an integrated behavioral health team, a referral to a therapist or psychiatrist, or a combination.

Describe the follow-up honestly. Name the kinds of clinicians who provide it with their real credentials, say how soon the practice tries to arrange it in words the practice can keep, and do not promise a result or a medicine. Treatment choices belong to the patient and the clinician in the visit, and a marketing page should not name or suggest medicines. Our guides to behavioral health integration outreach, psychiatric practice marketing and therapist private practice marketing cover the rules for those services.

Medicare, private plans and free screenings

Medicare reaches depression screening in three places. The Medicare.gov Depression screening page covers one screening a year in a primary care setting, with nothing to pay if the provider accepts assignment. Under 42 CFR 410.16, the initial preventive physical examination includes a review of the beneficiary’s potential risk factors for depression, including current or past experiences with depression or other mood disorders, using a standardized screening test for persons without a current diagnosis of depression. Under 42 CFR 410.15, the first annual wellness visit includes the same review, and the health risk assessment asks about psychosocial risks including depression and life satisfaction, stress, loneliness and social isolation. The Medicare.gov page also says follow-up treatment or a mental health provider may carry a copayment or coinsurance. Our guides to annual wellness visit outreach and marketing to Medicare patients cover the visit rules.

Private plans follow 42 U.S.C. 300gg-13, which requires group health plans and health insurers to cover, without cost sharing, evidence-based items or services that have in effect a rating of A or B in the current USPSTF recommendations. Depression screening for adults and for adolescents 12 to 18, and anxiety screening for adults 64 or younger, are grade B; suicide risk screening and screening of younger children are I statements, which the statute does not require plans to cover at no cost. Keep the recommendation and the coverage apart on the page, say the practice checks coverage before the visit, and do not write “free under the ACA”. Cash prices for visits or follow-up care follow our guides to advertising cash prices and good faith estimates for self-pay patients.

A free screening day at a community center, a campus or a workplace, or a gift for completing a questionnaire, follows 16 CFR 251.1, which says a free offer must not be recouped through a raised price or a reduced quantity or quality elsewhere, and that the terms of the offer should be stated at the outset. Under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7a(a)(5), civil penalties can apply to a person who offers or transfers remuneration to a Medicare or state health care program beneficiary that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary to order or receive items or services from a particular provider, practitioner or supplier. A free screening that leads straight to billed visits for Medicare or Medicaid patients needs counsel’s review before it runs. An event also needs a written plan for a person who screens positive or is in crisis on the day, with a clinician on site or on call. Our guides to health fair and screening event marketing and corporate wellness program marketing cover event rules.

Supplements, apps and products sold alongside

Mood products sold next to a screening program need the same care as any health claim. The FDA Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements (content current as of August 27, 2026) says FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. Name no product, make no claim that a supplement, an app or a device treats or prevents depression, and follow our guide to selling supplements in a medical practice.

Recall texts, letters and reminders

Screening programs reach patients through recall lists: adults due for a wellness visit, teens due for a yearly checkup, and patients a few weeks after giving birth. Under 45 CFR 164.501, a communication about the practice’s own treatment for an individual, such as a reminder to come in for a recommended service, can fall outside the definition of marketing, while a message that promotes a third party’s product or service generally needs a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508.

The words in the message matter as much as the rule. A text, a postcard or a voicemail can be seen by a partner, a parent or a coworker. Keep these points:

  • Invite to the visit, not to the screening: “[Practice name]: you are due for your yearly visit. Call [phone] or reply to book.” Leave the words depression, mood, mental health and suicide out of texts, postcards, voicemails and email subject lines.
  • Use the contact method and number the patient chose, and keep the caller ID and the sender name neutral.
  • Send teen reminders in the way the practice’s counsel has approved for minors, since who may see a minor’s health information is set state by state; 45 CFR 164.502(g) defers to state and other law on when a parent acts as a minor’s personal representative.
  • Do not send a reminder that implies a reason, such as a mood follow-up after a positive screen, to a shared device or address.
  • Give every message an easy opt-out, and honor it.

Our guides to text message appointment reminders and the patient recall system cover consent, timing and opt-outs.

Families, partners and who may hear what

Partners and parents search for “depression screening for teens” and call to book for someone else. Under 45 CFR 164.510(b), a covered entity may share information relevant to a family member’s or friend’s involvement in a patient’s care when the patient agrees or does not object, or, when the patient is not present or cannot agree, when the professional judges it is in the patient’s best interest. A page can welcome a family member’s call, but the intake team should ask the patient what may be shared, and a marketing message should never go to a family member about a patient who has not agreed. Under 45 CFR 164.508, psychotherapy notes have their own authorization rule, so a practice that offers therapy should keep those notes out of any outreach list.

Partners, sponsors and referral payments

Under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b), the federal anti-kickback statute, it is a crime to knowingly and willfully offer, pay, solicit or receive any remuneration to induce or reward referrals of items or services payable by a federal health care program. Rules on referral fees are also set state by state.

For a screening program, keep these points:

  • Do not pay a school, employer, community group or app maker per person screened or per patient referred, and do not accept payment from a therapy group, clinic or company for the patients the practice sends them, without counsel’s review.
  • Keep industry funding away from what the program recommends after a positive screen; our guide to Open Payments and the Sunshine Act covers disclosure.
  • Choose referral partners for the patient’s care and access, and tell patients they can choose another clinician; our guide to patient and physician referrals covers the rules.

Privacy, pixels and ads

A booking for a mood visit, a self-check answer or a page about postpartum depression can say something sensitive about a person’s health. Keep form answers, bookings and page clicks out of tracking pixels and ad platform tools unless a written agreement covers them; our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites covers the setup. The Google Ads personalized advertising policy lists health among its sensitive interest categories and restricts targeting based on it. Ads can target by place, language settings and search terms such as “depression screening near me”, and should not be built from a list of patients who screened positive, patients with a diagnosis, or new parents taken from the practice’s records. Ad copy should not address the reader as depressed (“Struggling with depression?”) in a way that implies the advertiser knows their health.

Tone, access and patient stories

People put off depression care because of shame, so the tone of the page matters as much as the facts. Present screening as routine care that the practice offers to adult patients and teens, use calm words, and keep out alarm, stigma and jokes: no images of a person in despair, no “don’t let depression win”, no wording that blames the reader. Write in plain words, offer the page in the languages the practice’s patients speak, and mention that the 988 Lifeline offers Spanish text and chat. The Department of Justice Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA describes website features such as text alternatives, enough color contrast and the ability to resize text that help people with disabilities use a site; our guide to Spanish language medical marketing covers translation.

A patient’s story about getting help can reduce shame. Under 16 CFR 255.2, an ad that shows one person’s result on a key attribute is likely to be read as what others will generally achieve, unless the advertiser has substantiation for that or clearly and conspicuously discloses what people can generally expect. Use a story only if the person chose to share it in writing, get a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508 where the practice is a covered entity, avoid “I felt better in two weeks” unless the page also says results differ, say if the person received anything for taking part, let them review the final version, and let them withdraw it later. Do not use a story about suicide in an ad. Our guides to patient photo consent and testimonials and before and after photos cover the full rules.

Illustration: two depression screening messages

Illustration: a web banner reads “Are you depressed? Take our free 2-minute test and find out today! Everyone should be screened for depression and suicide risk, even kids. Our proven program cures depression fast, and it’s free under Medicare. Feeling hopeless? Book online now. We’ve helped thousands feel happy again!” It turns a screen into a diagnosis, overstates two I statements as recommendations, promises a cure, mixes a free claim with a coverage promise, puts booking before the crisis lines, and uses a number with no source.

Illustration: a second banner for the same practice reads “A few questions about mood are part of your yearly visit at [Practice name]. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (June 20, 2023) recommends depression screening for adults, and (October 11, 2022) for teens 12 to 18. The questions help your care team decide whether to talk further; they are not a diagnosis. Medicare covers one depression screening a year in a primary care office, with nothing to pay if your provider accepts assignment; other plans vary, and we check your coverage first. If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If a life is in danger right now, call 911. [phone], [days and hours].” It quotes the sources and dates, says what a screen is and is not, states the coverage conditions and puts the 988 and 911 lines on the banner.

Checklist before a depression screening campaign goes live

  • Copy built on the USPSTF adult (June 20, 2023) and adolescent (October 11, 2022) recommendations, with grade B screening kept apart from the I statements for suicide risk, children 11 or younger and anxiety in adults 65 or older; the USPSTF site checked for updates, including the perinatal topic, on the day the page is written, with the date recorded.
  • No “find out if you’re depressed”, no cure or result promises, no “proven” program, no medicine names and no prescription promises; a screen described as questions that lead to a conversation, not a diagnosis.
  • The 988 line and the 911 line above the booking button and on pages, flyers, posters, voicemail, after-hours greetings, portal replies, text replies, chat and AI front desk tools, with 988 as the only crisis number and SAMHSA’s 988 materials used as published.
  • Online self-checks reviewed by the practice’s clinicians, with no suicide or self-harm question on an unmonitored form, 988 and 911 on every result, no labels by score, and no answers sent to analytics or ad tools.
  • Medicare coverage described as Medicare.gov and 42 CFR 410.15 and 410.16 state it; private plan coverage checked per patient; follow-up costs mentioned; no “free for everyone”.
  • Teen pages and reminders reviewed by counsel for confidentiality rules, which are set state by state; family members told only what the patient agreed to.
  • Recall texts, postcards, caller ID names, voicemails and subject lines name no condition and no reason; the patient’s chosen contact method used.
  • Screening events have a written plan and a clinician available for a person who screens positive or is in crisis; free offers and gifts reviewed under 16 CFR 251.1 and 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7a(a)(5); no per-person payments to hosts or referral partners without counsel’s review.
  • No supplement, app or device claims and no brand names on clinical pages; patient lists and screening results stay out of ad audiences; stories have signed authorizations, say results differ and never involve suicide in an ad.

How we help

We build websites, local search, Google Ads and AI front desk tools for independent practices and health businesses, including primary care, pediatric, OB-GYN and geriatric practices and integrated behavioral health teams. For a depression screening program, that means a site that builds its pages on the USPSTF recommendations as written and dated, keeps recommended screening apart from the I statements and both from coverage, puts the 988 and 911 lines above the booking button, and answers “depression screening near me” and “depression screening for teens” searches honestly, plus appointment request pages that book the visit and keep mood answers off the web and away from tracking tools. Our front desk tools send any message about suicide, self-harm or danger to life to the 988 and 911 lines and alert staff, hand symptom, medicine and result questions to a clinician, and do not tell anyone whether they are depressed. We do not decide who should be screened or treated; your clinicians and patients do. Our tools are built with HIPAA in mind. We confirm in writing what a BAA covers before any patient information flows through a tool, and if it is not covered, we do not route patient information through it. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not give legal or medical advice. We do not sell lead lists and we do not pay for referrals. For the wider rules, see our healthcare marketing rules hub.

Who should our depression screening page say the screening is for?

Quote the USPSTF recommendations with their dates: depression screening for adults, including pregnant and postpartum persons and older adults (June 20, 2023), and for adolescents 12 to 18 (October 11, 2022). Both apply to people without a diagnosed mental health condition. Say the care team asks a few questions as part of routine visits.

Can we say the USPSTF recommends suicide risk screening?

No. The USPSTF found the evidence insufficient to assess the benefits and harms of suicide risk screening in adults, children and adolescents. A clinician may still ask about safety, but the page should not present suicide risk screening as recommended care.

Can we offer a free online depression test on our website?

You can offer a self-check if it says it is not a diagnosis, shows the 988 and 911 lines before the first question and on every result, leaves out questions about suicide unless a clinician reviews answers in real time, labels no one by score, and keeps answers away from analytics and ad tools.

Does Medicare pay for depression screening?

Medicare.gov says Part B covers one depression screening a year in a primary care setting where the person can get follow-up treatment or referrals, with nothing to pay if the provider accepts assignment. Follow-up treatment or a mental health provider may carry a copayment or coinsurance. Say the practice checks coverage first.

Which crisis number should our page and tools give?

Give 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call, text or chat at 988lifeline.org, for anyone who is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, and 911 for a life in danger right now. Medicare.gov and NIMH give the same two numbers. Use 988 as the only crisis line so the reader does not have to choose.

Can our reminder text mention depression screening?

Keep the condition out of the message. Invite the patient to their yearly visit or checkup, use the contact method they chose, keep the sender name neutral, and follow counsel’s advice on reminders for teens, since confidentiality rules for minors are set state by state.

Sources

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