Louisiana Healthcare Connections Exceeds State and National Benchmarks for Well-Child Visits
Date: 04/13/26
Baton Rouge, LA– Louisiana Healthcare Connections has surpassed both state and national benchmarks for well-child visits among its Medicaid members, achieving significant improvements in preventive care utilization and setting a new standard for managed care plans across Louisiana.
Well-child visits are essential for monitoring a child's physical, emotional, and social development, allowing for early detection of potential health issues. Well-child visits help ensure a healthy start for Louisiana's children.
Serving approximately 350,000 members statewide — nearly 27% of Louisiana’s Medicaid managed care population — including 208,000 members under the age of 21, Louisiana Healthcare Connections reported significant gains in preventive pediatric care across all age groups.
In the most recent reporting period, well-child visits increased by approximately 9 percentage points, measured against 2022 benchmarks, more than any other Medicaid health plan in the state. Additionally, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Louisiana Healthcare Connections members under the age of 1 achieved nearly 100% compliance for receiving all recommended well-child visits. Utilization rates remained above national averages across all age groups.
"These results reflect our deep commitment to ensuring Louisiana’s children have access to the preventive care they need to grow and thrive," said Dr. Dana Lawson, Sr. Vice President of Population Health & Clinical Operations at Louisiana Healthcare Connections. "By strengthening provider partnerships, reducing barriers for families, and meeting parents where they are — whether through community events, digital outreach, or incentive programs — we are seeing meaningful improvements in children’s health outcomes across the state."
Several key initiatives contributed to the dramatic increases:
- Strong provider relationships with pediatricians and obstetricians statewide, built over years of collaboration.
- Incentive programs offering small rewards to both members and providers to encourage completion of recommended check-ups.
- Fluoride varnish integration, promoted through education and certification efforts, ensures preventive dental care is available during well-child visits.
- Community outreach events at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Head Start locations.
- Targeted member communications, including personalized reminder emails for well-child visits that averaged nearly 60% open rates, along with text messaging campaigns.
- Louisiana-based social media influencer partnerships to encourage well-child visits, generating more than 500,000 impressions.
By combining community-based engagement, provider collaboration, and data-driven outreach strategies, Louisiana Healthcare Connections continues to remove barriers to preventive care while improving health outcomes for children across Louisiana. For more information on Louisiana Healthcare Connections, visit their site.
###
About Louisiana Healthcare Connections
A Medicaid health plan serving the Louisiana Department of Health, Louisiana Healthcare Connections was launched in 2012 to provide the best benefits and programs possible to improve the overall health of the families and communities we serve. We are a company of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), focused on identifying and removing barriers to good health with sustainable solutions that help improve health outcomes. Through a family of engaged employees, dedicated providers and community partners, we deliver care for the health of all with Medicaid Made Personal.