Provider Alert! Developmental and Mental Health Screening Tools Added for the THSteps Preventive Care Medical Checkups

Date: May 11, 2021

Attention: Pediatric Providers

Effective Date: June 1, 2021

Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event.

Call to action: Texas Children’s Health Plan would like to inform network providers of two new developmental and mental health-screening tools that will be added to the Texas Health Steps Preventive Care Medical Checkups effective for dates of service on or after June 1, 2021.
How this impacts providers: The new screening tools are as follows:

• The Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC) will be added as a recognized developmental screening tool for children at 9 months, 18 months, 24 months, 3 and 4 years of age, as well as through 6 years of age if not completed previously.
• The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Prevention Services (RAAPS) will be added as a recognized mental health-screening tool for adolescents who are 12 years old through 18 years of age.

Developmental Screening is part of the Texas Health Steps Well Child Visit and not reimbursed separately.

Here are links to the new screening tools:

The Survey of Well-being of Young Children | Tufts Children’s (tuftschildrenshospital.org)

The Rapid Adolescent Prevention Screening© (RAAPS) (possibilitiesforchange.org)

Here is a link to all of the Texas Health Steps developmental and behavioral screening tools:

Forms | Texas Health and Human Services

Next steps for providers: Network providers must adhere to the Texas Health Steps screening recommendations. For positive screens, please consider referring members for case management, a network behavioral health provider, or an appropriate developmental provider.

Care Coordination, Case, and Disease Management Referrals:

Phone: 832-828-1430

Fax: 832-825-8745

Member Referral for Case Management form is available here:
http://www.tchp.us/for-providers/resources/downloadable-forms

If you have any questions, please email Provider Network Management at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.
For access to all provider alerts, log into:
www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.