By Lorna Fernandes, University of California San Francisco, December 4, 2019
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has approved the use of a screening tool for Medi-Cal patients that helps pediatricians identify Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that can lead to increased health risks in their patients. It is the only tool of its kind to qualify for pediatric Medi-Cal payments.
Known as PEARLS, for Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-Events Screener, the tool was developed by pediatricians and researchers from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, the UCSF School of Medicine and the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW).
The PEARLS tool screens and measures children for experiences in their daily environment that can cause stress. As part of the ACEs Aware initiative, an advisory group convened by the Office of the California Surgeon General, in partnership with DHCS, evaluated multiple existing tools and programs, and selected PEARLS as providing the best evidence overall for obtaining the desired results.
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