Family & Health Services Home
EPSDT (Well Child Care)
EARLY: Assessing and identifying problems early
PERIODIC: Checking children’s health at periodic, age-appropriate intervals
SCREENING: Physical, behavioral, developmental, dental, hearing, vision and other screening tests to detect potential problems
DIAGNOSTIC: Tests to follow up when a risk is identified
TREATMENT: Control, correct or reduce health
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment is a federal mandate that provides comprehensive and preventive healthcare services for children under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid. In Florida, the program is often called Well Child Visits.
It’s important for children to receive screenings and preventive care to avert health problems or diagnose and treat them as soon as possible. Early intervention addresses problems before they become advanced and improves long-term health outcomes.
The program covers all medically necessary services without limit to correct or ameliorate defects. This means services do not have to be considered a cure to be covered. Services that maintain or improve a child’s physical or behavioral health condition are covered. This is especially important for children with disabilities to prevent conditions from worsening, reduce pain or avert the development of additional illnesses.
Services can include:
- Physician, nurse practitioner and hospital care;
- Physical, speech/language, and occupational therapies;
- Home health services, including medical equipment, supplies, and appliances;
- Treatment for behavioral health and substance use disorders; and
- Treatment for vision, hearing and dental diseases and disorders.
- Immunizations
Screenings can include:
- Comprehensive health and developmental history
- Development and behavioral screening
- Vision, dental and hearing screening
- Lab tests, including lead toxicity
-
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment is a federal mandate that provides comprehensive and preventive healthcare services for children under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid. In Florida, the program is often called Well Child Visits.
-
It’s important for children to receive screenings and preventive care to avert health problems or diagnose and treat them as soon as possible. Early intervention addresses problems before they become advanced and improves long-term health outcomes.
-
The program covers all medically necessary services without limit to correct or ameliorate defects. This means services do not have to be considered a cure to be covered. Services that maintain or improve a child’s physical or behavioral health condition are covered. This is especially important for children with disabilities to prevent conditions from worsening, reduce pain or avert the development of additional illnesses.
Services can include:
- Physician, nurse practitioner and hospital care;
- Physical, speech/language, and occupational therapies;
- Home health services, including medical equipment, supplies, and appliances;
- Treatment for behavioral health and substance use disorders; and
- Treatment for vision, hearing and dental diseases and disorders.
- Immunizations
Screenings can include:
- Comprehensive health and developmental history
- Development and behavioral screening
- Vision, dental and hearing screening
- Lab tests, including lead toxicity
Hearing screenings are completed within 45 calendar days of a child’s first day enrolled in the program.
Early Identification of Unnoticed Loss: Mild or fluctuating hearing loss (often caused by fluid in the middle ear, chronic ear infections, or congenital conditions) is hard for parents and teachers to detect without specialized equipment. Children often adapt or mask these issues, leading to delayed diagnosis without routine screening.
Protecting Speech and Language Development: Early childhood is a crucial window for language acquisition. Undetected hearing issues directly impair a child's ability to hear foundational speech sounds, which can severely delay vocabulary growth, speech clarity, and early listening comprehension.
Supporting Social-Emotional Growth and Learning: Difficulty hearing in a classroom setting can lead to frustration, social withdrawal, or misunderstandings that are sometimes misidentified as behavioral or attention issues. Catching hearing loss early ensures proper accommodations or treatment so children can fully participate and succeed in early learning environments.
Vision screenings are completed within the first 45 days of a child’s first day in our program.
Early Detection of Asymptomatic Conditions: Young children rarely realize or complain when they have vision problems because they assume everyone sees the world as they do. Screenings catch conditions like amblyopia ("lazy eye"), strabismus (misaligned eyes), and refractive errors early—during critical developmental windows where treatment is most effective at preventing permanent, irreversible vision loss.
Supporting Learning and Whole-Child Development: Visual health directly impacts early literacy, motor skills, social-emotional development, and classroom engagement. Uncorrected vision issues can easily be misdiagnosed as behavioral or learning difficulties, so early intervention ensures children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
-
Hearing screenings are completed within 45 calendar days of a child’s first day enrolled in the program.
Early Identification of Unnoticed Loss: Mild or fluctuating hearing loss (often caused by fluid in the middle ear, chronic ear infections, or congenital conditions) is hard for parents and teachers to detect without specialized equipment. Children often adapt or mask these issues, leading to delayed diagnosis without routine screening.
Protecting Speech and Language Development: Early childhood is a crucial window for language acquisition. Undetected hearing issues directly impair a child's ability to hear foundational speech sounds, which can severely delay vocabulary growth, speech clarity, and early listening comprehension.
Supporting Social-Emotional Growth and Learning: Difficulty hearing in a classroom setting can lead to frustration, social withdrawal, or misunderstandings that are sometimes misidentified as behavioral or attention issues. Catching hearing loss early ensures proper accommodations or treatment so children can fully participate and succeed in early learning environments.
-
Vision screenings are completed within the first 45 days of a child’s first day in our program.
Early Detection of Asymptomatic Conditions: Young children rarely realize or complain when they have vision problems because they assume everyone sees the world as they do. Screenings catch conditions like amblyopia ("lazy eye"), strabismus (misaligned eyes), and refractive errors early—during critical developmental windows where treatment is most effective at preventing permanent, irreversible vision loss.
Supporting Learning and Whole-Child Development: Visual health directly impacts early literacy, motor skills, social-emotional development, and classroom engagement. Uncorrected vision issues can easily be misdiagnosed as behavioral or learning difficulties, so early intervention ensures children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.