Transcranial Doppler screening of Medicaid-insured children with sickle cell disease.

Transcranial Doppler screening reduces the risk of stroke in children with sickle cell disease. We tested the effect of informational letters sent to parents and doctors of Medicaid-insured children on improving screening efficiency. The letters did not improve the low baseline screening rates, suggesting the need for more aggressive outreach. Hematologist visits were correlated with increased screening rates.