The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (Commonwealth) and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) specifications state that all children enrolled in Pennsylvania's Children?s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) should receive testing for Elevated Blood Lead Levels (EBLL) as follows:
- regardless of risk level, at least one, and possibly two lead capillary or venous blood test before their second birthday; AND
- a risk assessment of the children?s environment at 6 months, between 9 and 18 months, and then annually from ages 3 ? 6 with testing, as appropriate.
The first blood test should be done between ages 9 and 12 months and the second test should be done prior to 24 months, and thereafter based on risk.
Note: These guidelines are in accordance with those recommended for children enrolled in the Medicaid program.
Recognizing your recommendation has tremendous influence on the parents/guardians of your pediatric patients and their decision to seek lead testing and screening information for their children, we are requesting your participation in ensuring all CHIP members receive lead testing before their second birthdate.
Identifying CHIP members
To help your practice easily identify CHIP members, we include the identifying words ?PA Kids? on the front of Independence ID cards, as shown in the sample CHIP ID card below.
Resources
The following resources provide additional information regarding lead testing recommendations:
HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Used with permission.