Iowa EPSDT

EPDST Overview

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment

Iowa EPSDT Care for Kids are the state's federally mandated Medicaid benefits for children and youth. The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) benefits were created by Congress in 1967. Learn more about them on our website's EPSDT Overview page.

Baby during physical exam

Care for Kids Website

The Care for Kids health provider website is a project of the Iowa Medicaid, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and is maintained by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Center for Disabilities and Development.

Information provided on the site has been developed and/or approved by a core team that includes a general pediatrician, a family practice physician, and a developmental and behavioral nurse practitioner. All currently practice in the state of Iowa. In some cases, when other expertise is needed on a certain topic, additional practitioners join the core team to assist with the development and review of materials.

Mother and child with doctor

Periodicity Schedule

The Iowa Periodicity Schedule provides a one-page summary of the ages at which recommended health screening services are to be provided as a child grows. These guidelines are based on Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 4th Edition, adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and supported by Iowa's Chapter of the AAP.

EPSDT Newsletter

Iowa EPSDT publishes its "Care for Kids" newsletter three times a year, as a collaborative effort of the Iowa Medicaid, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Subscribe to the EPSDT "Care for Kids" newsletter

Iowa EPSDT prints and mails the newsletter to providers who care for children and youth in Iowa. If you wish to receive a copy by email, please use the sign-up form at the bottom of this page to subscribe.

Click on the image below to visit our Care for Kids newsletter page:

Care for Kids Newsletter cover

Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment

The EPSDT core team provides information and materials on this website to assure all children receive regular well exams to detect potential problems. This includes:

Screening Exam

Preventive health screening requirements, online health screening tools, hearing screening protocols, and immunization and lead screening schedules.

Developmental Care

Care for the development of young children, with screening guidelines and links to recommended screening tools.

Mental Health Care

Information about mental health care for children and adolescents, and mental health screening in primary care.

Website Accessibility

Iowa EPSDT is committed to making our information and materials accessible to everyone.

To increase the font size on site pages, hold down CTRL and press + on a PC. Hold down Command and press + on a Mac.