American College Of Physicians

SAN DIEGO — Internal medicine physicians have an important part to play in major depression treatment, according to a presenter at the ACP Internal Medicine Meeting.

Medical organizations are sounding the alarm after a federal judge ruled that it is unconstitutional to require insurers and health plans to cover preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force at no cost.

In an update to its guidance on depression, ACP now recommends cognitive behavioral therapy or second-generation antidepressants as an initial treatment for patients in the acute phase of moderate to severe major depressive disorder.

The ACP has proposed a new process to streamline specialty referrals — a step that experts have called critical to fixing a massive issue in health care — but questions remain about the plan’s feasibility.