Doctors must screen kids for mental health problems

March 17, 2008

Doctors performing annual checkups for Massachusetts children on Medicaid now must offer questionnaires to detect warning signs of possible mental health problems, including autism in toddlers and depression in teenagers.

The questionnaires focus on children’s behavior and could lead to a referral to a specialist.

Over the last several years, according to The Boston Globe, the questionnaires have become the standard of care in pediatric practice. Spurred by legal action, Massachusetts has now jumped ahead of other states by requiring the screens for all young Medicaid recipients.

The new screening requirement stems from a lawsuit, Rosie D. v. Romney, which accused the state of neglecting its obligations to poor, mentally ill children, the Globe reported. The judge in the case ruled in January 2006 that the state must improve its care.

The new requirement is one step in the court-ordered remedy plan.