Cost-Effectiveness of Universal Routine Depression Screening for Adolescents in Primary Care

The study results suggest that universal annual depression screening for adolescents in primary care is cost-effective compared with a $100 000 per QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. Universal annual screening may be more cost-effective if health systems invest in efforts to enhance family access to telemedicine behavioral health, decrease treatment costs, or improve treatment effectiveness. Future analyses could examine whether additional potentially associated demographic factors, such as gender orientation, sexual identity, rurality, or comorbidities, affect cost-effectiveness outcomes.