Help Your Child Stay Healthy with Preventive Care
February 29, 2024
Parents usually take their children to the doctor when they don’t feel well, or if they need help with a certain condition. But regular doctor visits are an important part of your child’s care, too – even when they’re healthy. If your doctor sees you on a regular basis, they will be more likely to find health issues quickly and keep them from getting worse over time. They can also identify chronic conditions that may require additional care throughout your child’s life.
Preventive care can include:
- Well-child visits, which measure your child’s growth and developmental milestones.
- Screening tests, which check for diseases early – when they may be easier to treat.
- Vaccinations (shots), which help prevent serious diseases like measles, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, and others.
- Behavioral and mental health screenings, which can help identify conditions like autism, ADHD, or depression.
Medicaid members have access to Texas Health Steps, a program that provides preventive care for children, teens, and young adults (birth through age 20). Texas Health Steps covers:
- Medical checkups.
- Dental checkups.
- Hearing and vision screenings.
- Immunizations and lab work.
- Case management for members with more complicated healthcare needs.
Regular Texas Health Steps checkups for babies and toddlers are usually done within five days after leaving the hospital, then at
- 2 weeks.
- 2 months.
- 4 months.
- 6 months.
- 9 months.
- 12 months.
- 15 months.
- 18 months.
- 24 months.
- 30 months.
For older children, Texas Health Steps recommends yearly checkups. One good way to remember these appointments: call the office about one month before your child’s birthday, and schedule the appointment for shortly after their birthday.
Texas Health Steps checkups are usually done by a primary care provider like a
- Family doctor.
- General practitioner.
- Nurse practitioner.
- Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC).
- Rural Health Clinic (RHC).
If you have questions about Texas Health Steps checkups, talk to your healthcare provider.
Looking for great care near you?
PCHP’s Provider Directory includes more than 9,000 doctors and specialists across seven North Texas counties. You can search by location, specialty, gender, or languages spoken.
Get Regular Checkups and Earn Rewards!
PCHP members can earn rewards for getting regular preventive care:
- Up to a $160 value for the completion of up to six timely well-baby checkups between ages 0-15 months and up to two timely Well-Child Checkups between ages 16-30 months.
- A $20 value to be used on either a gift card or other items from a rewards catalog when you complete a timely Well-Adolescent checkup for ages 12-18.
