title: Utilization of available prenatal screening and diagnosis: effects of the California screen program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2009, the California Genetic Disease Branch introduced an aneuploidy screening program allowing Medi-Cal (state insured) patients access to state-sponsored first-trimester screening. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of greater access to prenatal screening on available resources at a single center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of prenatal screening and diagnostic procedures performed 4 months before the introduction of the program were compared with those of 12 months following the introduction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between December 2008 and March 2010, 7689 women underwent first trimester screening, 1286 underwent amniocentesis and 398 underwent chorionic villus sampling. When a comparison was made between the 4 months before and the 12 months after the program's introduction, a greater number of nuchal translucency (NT) examinations was seen to have been performed (384 per month vs 513 per month, P=0.001). Prenatal diagnostic procedures did not increase, but a greater proportion was performed for positive screen results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Introduction of the California screening program was associated with increased NT procedures and fewer invasive procedures for advanced maternal age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine/Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. yairb@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Blumenfeld
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hudgins
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: El-Sayed
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002140:California; D015193:Chorionic Villi Sampling / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D048208:Nuchal Translucency Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D058996:Quality Improvement; D018570:Risk Assessment