Newborn Screening Program

Newborn screening is a special set of tests that help identify babies who are at risk for certain conditions, allowing for early treatment. Every baby born in Indiana is tested for over 50 conditions including genetic, endocrine, metabolic, hearing loss, congenital heart defects and more.

At Parkview we are focused on providing timely care coordination for families of newborns with an abnormal or presumptive positive newborn screen result to ensure the best health outcomes possible. This includes:

• Early communication with primary care and pediatric specialty providers to create a process for newborn testing.
• Collaboration with primary pare and pediatric specialty providers to discuss positive results and developing a care plan.
• Ensuring that each family has access to care, care coordination and education related to testing and potential diagnosis.
• Report patient data to the health department describing confirmed diagnosis, diagnosis ruled out, lost to follow-up and other outcomes in order to continually improve the process.
• A Parkview Physicians Group Coordinator that works with families to ensure all follow up testing is completed in a timely manner and that any barriers to care are addressed.

A newborn screening is performed using a simple heel stick to draw a small amount of blood from the baby. The blood is then sent to the laboratory where testing is done to determine if abnormalities are present. All newborns in Indiana receive this mandatory screening test before they leave the hospital.

It’s important to note that a positive newborn screening isn’t necessarily a diagnosis, but it does indicate that another screening or further testing should take place to rule out or confirm the presence of a condition or disorder.

The Indiana Newborn Screening Program is a state-funded program at the Indiana Department of Health.

Learn more.