Jan. 26, 2021
The Healthy Montana Kids program has adopted the Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care and wants to remind providers of the importance and availability of these screening tools.
What is it?
Bright Futures is a set of principles, strategies, and tools that are theory based, evidence driven, and systems oriented that can be used to improve the health and well-being of all children through culturally appropriate interventions that address their current and emerging health promotion needs at the family, clinical practice, community, health system, and policy levels.
How are the screenings used?
At selected visits, Bright Futures recommends universal screening for issues such as child development, maternal or adolescent depression, substance use, or oral health. These screens, provided at specific periods throughout a child’s growth, help identify and take care of health problems early in a child’s growth. Each screen includes a comprehensive health and developmental history; a comprehensive, unclothed physical exam; age-appropriate immunizations and laboratory tests (including blood lead levels); and health education.
Where can I find more information?
Learn more at https://brightfutures.aap.org. Click on the Clinical Practice Tab and choose the Get to Know the Bright Futures Guidelines and Core Tools option. The following PDF provides a list of links to tools for use at specific Bright Futures visits as well as screening and assessment tools for use at the discretion of the health care professional. Healthcare, diagnostic services, treatments, and other measures that would correct or improve defects or physical or mental illnesses or conditions are available based on medical necessity.
For billing guidance, you may visit the following website, https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/coding_preventive_care.pdf , or contact Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana at 855-258-3489.