Newborns should be screened for critical congenital heart disease, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday in a letter to the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.

The recommendation brings the number of newborn disorders targeted for screening to 31.

Sebelius had already indicated support for widespread use of the painless, noninvasive test, which measures oxygen in the blood. Low oxygen levels signal the need for further testing to look for a heart-related problem. Last month, a federal advisory panel recommended that newborns nationwide receive the test.