09/20/2023
In 2021, Texas Health Steps (THSteps) added two preventive care medical check-up screening tools—one for developmental screening of children, and another for mental health screening for adolescents. The two new screening tools for THSteps include:
1. Developmental Screenings for Children The Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC)1 is a developmental screening tool for ages nine months-30 months. The SWYC Milestones is a 10-item questionnaire that parents fill out about their child’s development. The THSteps Periodicity Schedule requires specific development screening assessments of the following:
Developmental Screening Assessments |
Ages and Stages Assessment (ASQ) |
Ages and Stages Social and Emotional Assessment (ASQ:SE) |
Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) |
Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM) |
SWYC Age Ranges |
|
Nine Months: Nine – 11 months |
18 Months: 18 – 22 months |
12 Months: 12 – 14 months |
24 Months: 23 – 28 months |
15 Months: 15 – 17 months |
30 Months: 29 – 34 months |
2. Mental Health Screening for Adolescents The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS)2 is a mental health screening for adolescents ages 12-18. This gives providers the opportunity to use an adolescent-friendly tool that leads to a more effective, systematic assessment, identifying at-risk adolescents during preventive health check-ups. A comprehensive THSteps exam includes an annual mental health screening for behavioral, social and emotional development.
Resources
Please reference TMPPM for additional information.
For Texas Medicaid Provider Quality Improvement, review the following resources ranging from quality measures data to current vaccine schedules:
- BCBSTX Preventive Care Guidelines (PCGs)
- Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs)
- ImmTrac2
- Quality Improvement (QI) Toolkit and Tip Sheets
- Texas Health Steps (THSteps) for Medical Providers
1Advanced Medical and Professional Solutions. (no date) Peer to Peer Exchange: Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC). Accessed 05/07/2021 at www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/CYSHCN/projects/spharc/peer-to-peer-exchange/Documents/SWYC.pdf
2National Library of Medicine. (2014) The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS): providers' assessment of its usefulness in their clinical practice settings. Accessed 05/07/2021 at The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS): providers' assessment of its usefulness in their clinical practice settings - PubMed (nih.gov)