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Content: Nursing time required to do pulse oximetry testing on newborns averages about three minutes per baby. Some critics of mandatory pulse oximetry screening raise the issue of the added cost of echocardiography in false-positive cases. FEDERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Requiring pulse oximetry screening for newborns has been a state level issue for several years with proposals to have it included with other mandatory screenings for newborns. In October 2010, the Department HHS Advisory Committee on Heritable Diseases in Newborns and Children made a recommendation to add CHD to the uniform screening panel. It stated that “although there are recognizable evidence gaps, there are compelling reasons for recommending newborns for CHD.” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had 180 days to either adopt or reject this recommendation. In April 2011, she responded in a letter to the Advisory Committee's chairperson acknowledging the “recognizable evidence gaps” and stated: “After consultation with HHS agency leadership, I have determined that the Advisory Committee's recommendations are not ready for adoption. However, because this is such an important issue, I am referring these recommendations to the newly established Interagency Coordinating Committee on Newborn and Child Screening (ICC) for additional review and input regarding implementation.” (The secretary's complete correspondence can be read at: