Louisiana Healthcare Connections has surpassed both state and national benchmarks for well-child visits among its Medicaid members, achieving significant improvements in preventive care utilization.
Well-child visits are essential for monitoring a child’s physical, emotional, and social development, allowing for early detection of potential health issues. Well-child visits help ensure a healthy start for Louisiana’s children.
Serving approximately 350,000 members statewide — nearly 27% of Louisiana’s Medicaid managed care population — including 208,000 members under the age of 21, Louisiana Healthcare Connections reported significant gains in preventive pediatric care across all age groups.
In the most recent reporting period, well-child visits increased by approximately nine percentage points, measured against 2022 benchmarks. Additionally, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Louisiana Healthcare Connections members under the age of one achieved nearly 100% compliance for receiving all recommended well-child visits. Utilization rates remained above national averages across all age groups.
Several key initiatives contributed to the dramatic increases:
· Strong provider relationships with pediatricians and obstetricians statewide, built over years of collaboration.
· Incentive programs offering small rewards to both members and providers to encourage completion of recommended check-ups.
· Fluoride varnish integration, promoted through education and certification efforts, ensures preventive dental care is available during well-child visits.
· Community outreach events at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Head Start locations.
· Targeted member communications, including personalized reminder emails for well-child visits that averaged nearly 60% open rates, along with text messaging campaigns.
· Louisiana-based social media influencer partnerships to encourage well-child visits, generating more than 500,000 impressions.