For mental health professionals, accurately assessing a patient’s condition is the foundation of effective treatment. With depression and anxiety being among the most common mental health conditions, it is helpful for clinicians to have access to standardized, evidence-based tools that assist in the diagnosing and tracking of these disorders. That’s where the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 forms come in. Used in the diagnosis and treatment of depression and anxiety, these forms serve as consistent methods of measuring symptom severity and tracking changes over time. While the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 forms are widely used by mental health clinicians, many are still manually scoring these forms which is both time-consuming and prone to human error. However with modern EHRs and patient engagement platforms, these assessments, among many others, can now be automatically scored, reported upon, and built into automated workflows. In this article, we’ll review forms PHQ-9 and GAD-7, as well as other essential tools to support mental health clinicians in facilitating effective treatment. 

What is the PHQ-9 form?

The Patient Health Questionnaire 9, or PHQ-9, is a widely used screening tool to help clinicians assess and monitor depression severity in adult patients. This self-administered questionnaire consists of nine questions, each aligned with the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Patients rate the frequency of symptoms over the past two weeks, with responses ranging from “not at all” to “nearly every day.” 

Beyond initial diagnosis, the PHQ-9 form is also a tool for monitoring progress throughout ongoing treatment. By administering the questionnaire at regular intervals, clinicians can track progress, adjust treatment plans, and measure patient response to therapy or medication. 

One of the biggest advantages of the PHQ-9 form is its efficiency – as the test can be completed and scored in just a few minutes. When integrated into a digital platform with automated scoring, clinicians can instantly receive results, reducing administrative workload and enabling faster intervention for patients in need of immediate care. 

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What is the GAD-7 form?

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, or GAD-7, is a standardized screening tool designed to assess and measure the severity of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This self-reported questionnaire asks patients seven questions, each focused on common anxiety symptoms such as excessive worry, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. Patients rate how often they have experienced these symptoms for the past two weeks, using a scale ranging from “not at all” to “nearly every day.” 

While originally developed to screen for generalized anxiety disorder, the GAD-7 has also been found to be effective in detecting other anxiety-related conditions – including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder – making it an extremely valuable tool for screening patients. 

Similar to the PHQ-9, the GAD-7 is as effective as it is quick and simple. Patients can complete the forms in minutes and results can be instantly calculated when using a digital platform with auto-scoring. The GAD-7’s rapid results allow for the timely development of a symptom management plan. 

What are the benefits of auto-scoring the PHQ-9 and GAD-7? 

Mental health professionals juggle numerous responsibilities, including patient care, insurance billing, and marketing their practice. So while manually scoring assessments such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 may seem easy enough, it becomes a time-consuming activity when multiplied across dozens of patients at regular intervals. With that in mind, it’s helpful for clinicians to automate these administrative processes, with benefits including:  

• Saving Time and Streamlining Workflows: With automation, clinicians can use auto-scoring to instantly generate scores and store the information, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and move directly toward patient care.

• Reducing Human Error for More Accurate Diagnoses: Small miscalculations in scoring can lead to incorrect assessments of depression or anxiety severity, potentially delaying appropriate treatment. Automated scoring ensures precision and consistency, leading to better-informed clinical decisions.

• Improving the Patient Experience: Timely mental health intervention is critical. Auto-scoring enables real-time analysis, so clinicians can discuss results with patients immediately, eliminating delays and enhancing engagement in treatment planning. 

• Enhancing Documentation and Compliance: Maintaining accurate and organized patient records is essential for compliance, billing, and continuity of care. Having forms such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 directly integrated into patient records ensures that assessments are securely stored and easily accessible. 

• Seamlessly Integrating with Patient Records: With platforms like Healthie, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 assessments can be incorporated into automated intake flows, saving time for providers and patients alike. The results can be auto-released to patients, empowering them to track their own mental health progress. 

Healthie’s form library for mental health professionals

Healthie, an EHR and patient engagement platform, understands the importance of being able to efficiently and accurately integrate forms into their workflows and care delivery. Healthie's forms library includes a suite of 40 forms specific to behavioral and mental health, including the PHQ-9 and GAD-7.  With Healthie, behavioral health clinicians can assign these forms as part of an intake flow, automate scoring, and instantly access results, reducing administrative burden and improving patient care.

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Among the forms available for Healthie users are:

• Therapeutic Relationship Intake Forms: Including a Psychiatric Evaluation Intake, Biopsychosocial Assessment (Adult), and Therapy Intake Questionnaire. 
• Charting Forms: Including a Therapy Discharge Summary, Group Therapy Session Note, and Behavioral Health SOAP Note.
• Assessment Forms: Including a Mental Status Evaluation, Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), and Suicide Risk Assessment.
• Symptom Inventories & Screening Forms: Including the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10), CAGE-AID Substance Abuse Screening Tool, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): Self-Report Version, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
• Treatment Plans: Including a Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Plan, Therapy Treatment Plan and Goals Note, and Patient Safety Plan. 

In addition to these forms being readily available, they are also highly customizable so they can be  adapted to the specific needs of your practice. ‍

Healthie’s all-in-one solution for behavioral health practices

Managing a mental health practice is multifaceted, requiring expert documentation, billing, and patient engagement. Healthie’s EHR, practice management, and patient engagement platform streamlines these tasks with a HIPAA-compliant platform built for mental health professionals. 

With Healthie, clinicians can: 

• Build Custom Clinical Workflows: Automate the onboarding and intake processes, leverage Healthie’s forms library, and store all patient documentation in one secure place. 
• Automate Insurance Billing and Revenue Tracking: Reduce claim denials and speed up reimbursements with Healthie’s billing tools. 
• Enhance Patient Engagement: Healthie provides a secure patient portal, telehealth, chat, and programs features to increase patient engagement and adherence. 
• Streamline Scheduling: Healthie’s self-scheduling system eliminates the need for back-and-forth scheduling and reduces no-shows and missed appointments. 

Healthie provides everything behavioral health clinicians need to streamline and grow their private practices while focusing on patient care.