When to screen: 1, 2, 4, and 6 month well-child visits
Although this domain is called Perinatal Depression, which often refers to a woman who gave birth, it is important to screen parents and other caregivers in the household for depression during the first year of a child's life. We recommend the Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK), as it assesses depression through its inclusion of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) items, as well as other concerns that may arise in the household.
If a caregiver indicates experiences of depressed mood and inability to feel pleasure (positive for PHQ-2 or the PHQ-2 items within the SEEK), a self-report assessment of depression symptoms is recommended (and may be required by Managed Care Organizations or Private Insurers). As such, we also recommend the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a follow-up to a positive PHQ-2 (independent or within SEEK), or as the initial screening tool for Perinatal Depression.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is now a recommended screening tool in the Louisiana Developmental Screening Guidelines to screen for Caregiver Depression. EPDS optimizes the early detection of Perinatal Mental Health Disorders and can accurately and efficiently screen caregivers in less than 5 minutes. The screens can also be reimbursed by Louisiana Medicaid.
Louisiana Medicaid reimburses for perinatal depression screens using code 96161. Please refer to the bulletin and fee schedule for more information.
Official Louisiana State Websites use .la.gov 
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 