Episode 132: Clinical Conversations: Using EPSDT to Improve Access to Obesity Pharmacotherapy in Youth

So today we're going to be discussing the EPSDT program, and the article that this is based on is published in volume 19 of Obesity Pillars.

The link to the article will be in the footnote.

So I think we're going to start with a description of what EPSDT is.

Dr. Vidmar, will you please describe EPSDT for our audience?

Absolutely.

And in full transparency, I don't know that I really knew or understood what this was until probably 18 months ago when I learned that California was going to lose coverage to GLP-1s for young people living with obesity.

And amazing colleagues like yourselves and others taught me about it.

So The EPSDT is Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment, and it is a comprehensive Medicaid benefit that was established to ensure that young people receive medically necessary health care services.

And so I think historically it's been thought of as a benefit that can be used primarily for preventative care, but it actually has a pretty broad utilization that can occur not only for screening and diagnostics, but also for treatments of any chronic condition.

And that's how we've been able to harness it for the treatment of pediatric obesity.

Okay.

Well, I think that, you know, I have been involved with the Texas form of that, which is called Texas Health Steps for years, but it's only been recently and that I've been trying to use it to prescribe obesity medication, which is what we're going to concentrate on today, of course.

And I think, you know, You guys have really furthered this process along some by helping educate all of us out there because the more we use it, you know, the better.

So, Dr. O'Hara, can you please describe why you and the other authors wanted to do this review and how you think this article helps you navigate through the system?