WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., AUGUST 7, 2000 -- The March of Dimes takes issue with a new report on newborn screening tests published in the August issue of Pediatrics, criticizing the report for favoring costs savings over infant health.
In a statement issued today by March of Dimes president Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, the organization said the report "should have argued for the health of the consumers of these tests, babies and their families, rather than for a cost-benefit balance."
Approximately four million infants are born annually in the U.S. and tested for certain conditions that may threaten their life and long-term health, including certain genetic disorders. The Newborn Screening Task Force report published in Pediatrics was developed to review issues and challenges for state newborn screening programs.
"Although there is much in the report with which we agree, we take issue with it in several respects," Dr. Howse said. "There are several specific recommendations for newborn screening programs that we think should have been included in the report, but weren’t." The March of Dimes recommends:
- Every baby born in the U.S. should receive the same core group of screening tests, regardless of which state he or she is born in (NOTE: See list of tests).
- A test, even for a rare disease, should be conducted for every newborn if the early discovery of that disease can make a difference in the child's health.
- Every baby should receive the best available test. A currently used test should be abandoned for a newer one, if the new test is more precise or has a shorter turn-around time – no matter what the cost differential.
- Safeguards should be put in place to ensure timely reporting of test results so babies born with potentially catastrophic but treatable conditions get help before it is too late to prevent harm
Uniform quality of newborn screening tests nationwide must be assured, whether the tests are carried out in major medical centers or in rural doctors' offices.
- Dr. Howse said the report should have systematically examined all the currently available newborn screening tests, categorized them on the basis of urgency, and recommended best practices for consistency, quality, and timeliness of testing and reporting.
"When newborn screening tests for all treatable conditions are universally available and the quality of the tests is assured, it may well turn out this effort will be economically beneficial to health insurers," she said. "Nevertheless, the March of Dimes believes the primary consideration should always be the health of babies."
The report, "Newborn Screening: A Blueprint for the Future," by the National Newborn Screening Task Force, sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, was published today in Pediatrics, volume 106, issue 2 (supplement). The report can be downloaded from the web at www.mchb.hrsa.gov.
The March of Dimes commentary is scheduled to be published in the September issue of Pediatrics.
