Preventive Care

Check-ups for Children

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) is a program for children and adolescents under the age of 21. HealthWatch is the name of Indiana’s EPSDT Program. The HealthWatch program checks all children for medical problems early and as they grow. These check-ups help to make sure your child is growing up healthy. If the doctor finds a problem, it is treated and watched. These benefits are available to your child with MDwise.

Well Child check-ups include:

Medical history and physical exam.
Growth and development checks (language and motor skills, social and personal development).
Vision screens.
Hearing screens.
Dental screens.
Nutrition evaluation and education.
Lab tests including blood lead level.
Mental health and substance use screens.
Immunizations (shots).
Health education for parents.
Many other screenings and tests based on the child’s history.

It is important for children to have all of their well child visits. Children need to get check-ups regularly on or before the ages listed below:

3–5 days.
1 month.
2 months.
4 months.
6 months.
9 months.
12 months.
15 months (Your baby should have this check-up BEFORE s/he turns 15 months old.).
18 months.
24 months.
30 months.
3 years.
Every year age 4–20.

Lead Poisoning Screening

Lead poisoning is a common sickness you should know about. It can be very harmful to children and pregnant women.

Where does lead poisoning come from?

Getting lead dust from old paint on hands or toys that get put in your child’s mouth.
Breathing in lead dust from old paint.
Eating chips of old paint or dirt that contain lead.
Drinking water from pipes lined or soldered with lead.

What does lead poisoning do?

Lead in your child’s blood can be harmful. High levels can cause:

Kidney Damage.
Blindness.
Hearing Loss.
Permanent brain damage.
Learning disabilities.
Behavioral problems.
Seizures.
Coma.
Death.

High lead levels in pregnant women can harm their unborn children.

Talk to your doctor about lead screening. Lead poisoning is a common health problem. Every MDwise child should be tested for lead. Children should be screened with a blood lead test between 9-15 months old. They should be tested again between 21-27 months old. Children should be tested between ages three and six years if they were not screened at 12 and 24 months. If you are pregnant, you should also talk to your doctor to see if you have been exposed to lead.

Lead Testing for Children

Immunizations (shots)

Immunizations are shots that help the body fight disease. Children will receive immunizations (shots) during some of the EPSDT checkups. Children must have all the shots they need before they can start school. Check with your child’s doctor to be sure that your child has all the needed shots.

Below under Additional Resources is a link to the recommended childhood and adolescent immunizations schedules.

This may seem like a lot of shots, but the shots are needed to prevent disease. The visits also help the doctor make sure your child is growing and learning on schedule. If you are not sure if your child needs a shot, please talk to your child’s doctor right away. Your doctor can also tell you what to do if your child misses a shot.

For checkups for children you might earn points through MDwiseREWARDS. To find out if you can earn these rewards click here. Another benefit you may qualify for is RIDEwise. This is a MDwise service that provides rides to your doctor visits. Click here to learn more.

Videos and comic from Hip Hop Public Health:

Behind the Mask – Video encouraging mask wearing

20 Seconds or More – Video encouraging hand washing

20 Seconds or More (Spanish) – Video encouraging hand washing

Preventive Care for Adults

Download: Annual Appointment Checklist

What is a preventive care visit?

You may have heard the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Instead of treating a medical illness after you have had it for a while, preventive care focuses on preventing disease and staying healthy. This may include things like:

Immunizations (shots)
Yearly check-ups
Cervical Cancer Screening
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Prostate Cancer Screening
Breast exams
Dental exams
Eye care exams

Treating a disease in its earliest stages is much easier. Don’t wait until you have been sick for a long time. The earlier your doctor can find and treat an illness, the better your chance of getting well. Even if you feel great, you may have a serious illness. You may not have signs or symptoms. For example, most people can’t tell they have high blood pressure. You won’t know unless you go to your doctor to be checked. Blood tests, X-rays and other routine screenings are the best ways to find early warning signs of a serious illness. If a condition runs in your family, like breast cancer, it’s even more important that you get screened early and often. This will help you to stay healthy.

Please remember that all preventive care you get is covered by MDwise and we encourage you to get all recommended preventive services.

Make sure you see your doctor regularly. Follow his or her instructions. The following chart lets you know what care or screening you may need for someone your age and gender. Your doctor will also know what preventive services you need.

Preventive Care Service	Male age 19–20	Female age 19–20	Male age 21–34	Female age 21–34	Male age 35–49	Female age 35–49	Male age 50–64	Female age 50–64
Annual Physical Exam	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Blood Glucose Screening*	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Tetanus-Diphtheria Booster	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Pap Smear*		✔		✔		✔		✔
Chlamydia Screening		✔		Under 25
HPV Vaccine**	✔	✔		Under 27
Cholesterol Testing*					✔	45+	✔	✔
Screening Mammogram*								✔
Colorectal Cancer Screening							✔	✔
Flu Shot*	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Pneumococcal vaccine*	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Dental Exams***	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Eye Exams***	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔

*Annual or as instructed by your doctor based on your disease/history specific condition.

**Males should get the Gardasil HPV vaccine; Females should get either the Gardasil or Cervarix HPV vaccine.

***For HIP members, if coverage is included in your HIP plan.

If you are in HIP Basic or HIP State Plan Basic and get the preventive care you need and if you have any money left over in your POWER Account at the end of the year you will earn a State Discount Percentage off of HIP Plus coverage. If you pay for plus you will get a discount off your HIP Plus POWER Account Contribution for the rest of your current benefit period as long as you maintain plus status.

If you are in HIP Basic or HIP State Basic and DO NOT get the preventive care that you need, any money left over at the end of the year will not roll over to the next year. If you are in HIP Plus or HIP State Plus and you get any recommended preventive service every year, you will be eligible to have your roll over money doubled. This may result in much lower or no contributions due the next year. If you DO NOT get the preventive care you need, part of the money left in your POWER Account will be rolled over, but it will not be doubled.

Additional Resources:

Vaccine Resources for Parents from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention