Implementing Bright Futures guidelines for well-child care in North Carolina

The Bright Futures guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics offer a comprehensive agenda for improving the health of people from birth to age 21 years. The guidelines are the culmination of a century of multidisciplinary, multiorganizational efforts in the United States to prevent illness and promote health in children and adolescents, and, in turn, the adults they become. Regulations interpreting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) specifically state that group health plans must, at a minimum, provide coverage for the preventive services recommended in the Bright Futures guidelines. Thus the ACA will be an impetus for implementation of the guidelines. This issue brief describes the genesis, history, and development of the guidelines. In addition, it briefly touches on each of the commentaries and other articles contained in this issue of the NCMJ dedicated to the implementation of Bright Futures guidelines.