Jha MK, et al. - In 16 primary care clinics within a large US metropolitan area, researchers determined the results of an ongoing quality-improvement project (VitalSign6) to improve recognition, treatment, and outcomes in depressed patients. The primary care clinics involved included six charity clinics, six federally qualified healthcare centers, two private clinics serving low-income populations, and two private clinics serving patients with either Medicare or private insurance. Only the first 25,000 patients (aged ≥ 12 years) screened with the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire were analyzed retrospectively. Overall, 17.3% of patients screened positive for depression, among whom 56.1% had clinician-diagnosed depressive disorder. Of those enrolled for ≥ 18 weeks, 64.8% received measurement-based pharmacotherapy, and 8.9% were referred externally. Among those with ≥ 3 follow-up visits following routine screening and treatment of depression, high remission rates were reported; nevertheless, the importance of attrition from care, because of its adverse influence on outcomes, was highlighted. Characteristics associated with higher attrition at baseline included being non-white, testing positive for drug-abuse screen, having lower depression/anxiety symptom severity, and being of a younger age.