[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10733-10734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04834]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Service Administration


Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule Updates

AGENCY: Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Effective December 21, 2017, HRSA updated the HRSA-supported 
guidelines for infants, children, and adolescents for purposes of 
health insurance coverage for preventive services, as set out in the 
Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule. This notice serves as an 
announcement of the decision to update these guidelines as listed 
below. Please see https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-topics/child-health/bright-futures.html for additional information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bethany D. Miller, LCSW-C, M.Ed., 
HRSA/Maternal and Child Health Bureau by calling (301) 495-5156 or 
emailing [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bright Futures program has been funded 
by HRSA since 1990. A primary focus of this program is for the funding 
recipient to maintain and update the Bright Futures Guidelines for 
Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents, a set of 
materials and tools that provide theory-based and evidence-driven 
guidance for all preventive care screenings and well-child visits. One 
component of these tools is the Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule, a 
chart

[[Page 10734]]

that outlines the recommended screenings, assessments, physical 
examinations, and procedures to be delivered during preventive checkups 
at each age milestone. The Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule has 
become the accepted schedule within the United States for preventive 
health services through the course of a child's development.
    Section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act requires that non-
grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering 
group or individual health insurance coverage provide coverage for 
certain preventive health services in four identified areas without 
cost sharing. Section 2713(a)(3) describes such services for infants, 
children, and adolescents as ``evidence-informed preventive care and 
screenings provided for in the comprehensive guidelines supported by 
HRSA.'' HHS, along with the Departments of Treasury and Labor, issued 
an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on July 19, 2010 (75 FR 41726-41760) that 
identified two specific charts as the comprehensive guidelines 
supported by HRSA for infants, children, and adolescents to be covered 
by insurance without cost sharing by non-grandfathered group health 
plans and health insurance issuers: (1) The Bright Futures Periodicity 
Schedule and (2) the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) of the 
Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. The 
IFR provided that future changes to these comprehensive guidelines are 
considered to be issued for purposes of Section 2713 on the date of 
acceptance by the HRSA Administrator or, if applicable, adoption by the 
Secretary.
    On December 21, 2017, the HRSA Administrator accepted the proposed 
2017 updates to the Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule. Therefore, all 
non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers 
offering group or individual health insurance coverage must cover the 
services and screenings listed on the updated Bright Futures 
Periodicity Schedule for plan years (in the individual market, policy 
years) beginning on or after December 21, 2018.
    The updated 2017 Bright Futures Periodicity schedule can be 
accessed at the following link: https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-topics/child-health/bright-futures.html.

    Dated: February 27, 2018.
George Sigounas,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2018-04834 Filed 3-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4165-15-P