Defining mental health screening as a covered benefit is not always sufficient to ensure that it is provided in clinical practice. Quality measures, such as those proposed by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization (CHIPRA) legislation, can help to improve both recognition of the need to provide this service and the rate at which it is offered. Read more.

The Massachusetts Experience: Massachusetts has some of the most comprehensive requirements for the inclusion of mental health screenings in Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit (EPSDT) primary care visits. Other states are using this experience as a model for expanded mental health screenings through EPSDT. See fact sheet.

Rosie D. and Mental Health Screening: Rosie D. and Mental Health Screening: A Case Study of Providing Mental Health Screening at the Medicaid EPSDT Visit.  provides an in-depth review of the impact of a landmark class action suit, which prompted Massachusetts’ broad implementation of mental health screening at Medicaid well-child visits.

Summaries of key insights learned from the Massachusetts experience are available for both policymakers and health plan leadership. See our Brief for Policymakers and Brief for Program and Plan Directors.