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For Hospitals & Health Plans

Multi-domain mental health screening that supports HEDIS performance, Star Ratings, and reimbursement · M-3 Information, LLC

M3 is a validated, 3-minute, 27-item screening instrument covering depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD in a single check-in — paired with the PEG pain scale. For hospital systems and health plans, M3 provides a standardized way to assess patients at points of care that matter for quality measurement, without adding a new billing relationship or a new EHR integration project.

HEDIS and Star Ratings

In August 2024, NCQA expanded the HEDIS measure for follow-up after mental-health-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Tracked conditions now include anxiety diagnoses, phobia diagnoses, intentional self-harm codes, and suicidal ideation (R45.851) — not just depression. M3 gives facilities a validated way to assess patients at discharge and monitor them afterward to meet NCQA guidelines, supporting HEDIS performance, Star Ratings, and reimbursement while reducing readmissions.

The program operates within existing CPT codes, including collaborative care and remote patient monitoring, at no incremental cost to the facility, and integrates with leading EHRs including Epic, Cerner, Athena, and eClinicalWorks.

Why depression-only screening isn't enough

23.1%

of U.S. adults have Any Mental Illness (AMI) — NIMH

8.3%

have a Major Depressive Episode — just 35.9% of all diagnosable mental illness

The remaining 64.1% — including anxiety disorders (19.1% prevalence, more than twice that of depression), PTSD, and bipolar disorder — lies entirely outside the reach of depression-only screening. Applying the PHQ-9's 82% sensitivity to that 35.9% ceiling puts its functional detection of AMI at roughly 29%. A validated multi-domain instrument at 83% sensitivity across the full construct detects roughly 83% — a 54-percentage-point gap that no depression-only tool can close, regardless of how well it performs within its own scope. (Modeled estimates from NIMH prevalence data: nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics)

Clinical validation

Using a cutoff score of 33, M3 identifies 85% of patients with a confirmed mood or anxiety diagnosis, while only 1 in 10 patients scoring above 33 are diagnosis-free. In a primary care comparison study, M3 demonstrated validity as an efficient tool for screening multiple common psychiatric illnesses — including bipolar disorder and PTSD — in a single assessment, with diagnostic accuracy equal to currently used single-disorder screens. Eighty-three percent of clinicians reviewed the M3 report in 30 seconds or fewer, and 80% found it helpful in reviewing patients' emotional health. See the peer-reviewed validation study: Gaynes et al., Annals of Family Medicine, 2010.

Mental health and pain, together

The platform pairs the M3 Checklist with the PEG pain scale, because the two travel together. An NIH-supported study published in the journal PAIN found that adults living with chronic pain were about five times more likely to report symptoms of anxiety or depression than those without chronic pain, yet the two are often evaluated separately. M3 provides separate mental health and pain scores that individuals can share with their care team and repeat over time to monitor changes.

Procurement and integration

AWS MarketplaceMetered, procurement-free

Available on AWS Marketplace, billed per completed assessment straight through your existing AWS bill — no new vendor contract, no separate invoice.

Standards-based data

Results are LOINC-coded (panel 71891-6), crosswalked to ICD-10-CM and SNOMED CT, and exportable as HL7 FHIR R4. See Clinical Overview & Security.

Listed on AWS Marketplace as M3MentalHealth.org — A Multi-Dimensional Mood Monitor.

Talk to us

Evaluating M3 for your hospital system or health plan? We're happy to walk through HEDIS reporting, EHR integration, or procurement questions. Reach us at support@m3mentalhealth.org, or use our Contact page.
M3 is a screening and measurement-based-care tool that supports clinical judgment. It does not provide a diagnosis and does not replace clinical evaluation. See our Clinical Overview & Security page for certifications, safeguards, and interoperability detail.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking of harming themselves, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to the nearest emergency room.