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State to screen newborns for more diseases Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Poor national rankings in children's health care were a factor in the Arkansas Board of Health's announcement Tuesday that it will expand screenings of newborns for rare genetic disorders beginning July 1, officials said. By screening for 29 conditions as recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics rather than the current seven, officials hope to help newborns avoid lifelong health problems, mental retardation and death. The conditions are treatable if detected early. Arkansas ranks 44th nationally for children's health care, according to a study released in late May by the Commonwealth fund, a private foundation that studies health issues. "The rankings that Arkansas has had because of the health status I think are important factors for us," said Dr. Paul Halverson, director of the Arkansas Department of Health. "I think the Board of Health has a strong interest in improving the quality and accessibility of health care for all Arkansans." More affordable technology and the state's new public health lab also enabled the program to expand, he said. The additional tests will raise the fee for the screening from $14.93 to $89.25 and be built into hospital billing, totaling about $3.5 million annually. Officials said about 70 to 75 of the approximately 40,000 babies born every year in Arkansas will test positive for at least one of the conditions, including phenylketouria (PKU) galactosemia, sickle cell anemia, congenital hypothyroidism and hearing loss. An estimated cost savings of $5.5 million is expected to be generated as a result of detecting the disease early and not having to deal with health problems later on, said Dr. Richard Nugent, chief of the family health branch at the Health Department. "What this gives us is a chance to identify those earlier," Nugent said. "What we had been at is waiting until suddenly the child isn't developing as normally, or is having a health problem, and then we identify it in the emergency room." Arkansas will join 19 other states and the District of Columbia when hospitals in the state begin testing for the 29 conditions. |
