Tag - screening
04Jan

Identifying and treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Season affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that appears related to seasonal changes. This recurrent depression may happen every year and occurs most commonly in the fall and winter when the daylight hours shorten, but it may also occur in the spring and summer. SAD may affect up to 5% of the population and seems to be more common in Northern climates and in individuals with a personal history of depression and those with a close relative who...

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09Oct

Breaking Reminder: Syphilis Screening Urged for All Pregnant Women

The number of congenital syphilis cases is rising at an alarming rate.  From 2012-2016 the rate of congenital syphilis increased by 87% (from 8.4 to 15.7 cases per 100,000 live births).1   According to historical data, up to 40% of pregnancies with untreated syphilis will result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.  And those infants who live are at risk for skeletal abnormalities; hepatosplenomegaly; jaundice; anemia; and other complications which can cause developmental delays and seizures.2   Given that congenital syphilis is...

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01Oct

CDC data released show STD diagnoses at record high in U.S.

The CDC has released preliminary surveillance data presented at the 2018 STD Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C.  Data analysis of the five year trend of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) showed a sharp increase in STDs for four consecutive years (see chart).   In 2017, almost 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported to the CDC, an increase of more than 200,000 cases from 2016 (see graph).   Young women continue to bear the greatest burden of chlamydia, having nearly...

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24Jul

Now available: Integrating Postpartum Depression Screening into Routine Infant Medical Checkups

Texas Health and Human Services has a new online training, available to Texas Health Steps providers, on integrating PPD screening into routine infant checkups. Texas Health Steps providers can receive separate reimbursement for conducting maternal PPD screening during an infant’s preventive medical checkup. Click here to learn more about the policy and connect with resources to help you implement it in your practice.

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17Jul

Provider Alert! Coding Changes to Postpartum Depression Screening

Maternal depression is a serious and prevalent condition that not only affects the mother, but may present a substantial early risk to appropriate child development, the mother-infant bond, and the family. According to the AAP, it has been estimated that 5 percent to 25 percent of all pregnant, postpartum, and parenting women have some type of depression. Mothers who have low incomes are more likely to experience some form of depression than the general population of mothers. A maternal depression...

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12May

Texas Children’s Health Plan reimburses substance use screening

SBIRT stands for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment.  Texas Children’s Health Plan reimburses for SBIRT services for all patients 10 and older. Screening can be completed by physicians, registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice nurses (APRN), physician assistants (PA), psychologists, licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), licensed professional counselors (LPC), certified nurse midwives (CNM), outpatient hospitals, federally qualified health centers (FQHC), and rural health clinics. A recent survey of pediatricians found that only a minority of pediatricians used validated screening tools...

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15Mar

Perinatal Depression

Depression is very common, especially in women of reproductive age. Perinatal depression affects as many as one in seven women. It includes major and minor depression episodes that occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that all pregnant women be screened at least once during the perinatal period. Identification of perinatal depression is important because untreated perinatal depression and other mood disorders can have devastating effects on women, infants, and families....

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21Jan

Training for Providers on Child Development Screening and Surveillance

The Child Developmental Screening and Surveillance web training is available on the Texas Health Steps Online Provider Education website: http://www.txhealthsteps.com/. The goal of this module is to equip Texas Health Steps providers and others with the skills to conduct developmental surveillance and screening during preventive medical checkups for children birth through 6 years; use approved screening tools; make appropriate referrals; and coordinate care in the primary care setting. Continuing education units are available for physicians, nurses, social workers, and Certified Health Education...

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01May

Provider Alert! Screening for Maternal Depression – Essential to Child Well-Being

Effective January 1, 2017, Texas Children’s Health Plan will reimburse providers for maternal depression screening conducted at a well-child visit. Postpartum depression screening utilizing the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale may be reimbursed up to 2 times per member ages 0-6 months, using CPT code 96161. Code 96161 is used to report the use of a standardized instrument to screen for health risks in the caregiver for the benefit of the patient. The reimbursement for this code will be based on...

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03Feb

Screening for Maternal Depression – Essential to Child Well Being

Effective January 1, 2017, Texas Children’s Health Plan will reimburse providers for maternal depression screening conducted at a well-child visit. Postpartum depression screening utilizing the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale may be reimbursed up to 2 times per member ages 0-6 months, using CPT code 96161. Code 96161 is used to report the use of a standardized instrument to screen for health risks in the caregiver for the benefit of the patient. The reimbursement for this code will be based on...

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