INTRODUCTION: The number of congenital syphilis cases have been rapidly increasing in the United States despite prenatal screening. In Sacramento County, the rates of congenital syphilis are among the highest in the California. In response to the rapid rise in syphilis rates, there is universal syphilis screening on admission to University of California, Davis, labor and delivery. METHODS: Syphilis IgG was added to the admission order set for patients admitted to University of California, Davis, labor and delivery. To assess the effect of this intervention, charts were reviewed from the electronic medical record 6 months prior to and 6 months after the intervention was implemented. RESULTS: In the 6 months prior to implementing routine screening, there were nine individuals who screened positive for syphilis. Of those individuals, eight had scant or no prenatal care. Seven had a history of syphilis with prior treatment. Three required re-treatment based on follow-up titers. There were no false-positive screens. Four patients had concomitant sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses, and seven had a history of or current drug use. Five had unstable housing. In comparison, after 6 months of routine syphilis screening, there were six individuals who screened positive for syphilis. Two had scant prenatal care. Three of the patients had history of syphilis and two required re-treatment based on follow-up titers. There were three false-positive screens. One patient had concomitant STI diagnosis. Two patients had unstable housing. The two groups had similar demographics in regard to age, gravidity, and parity. CONCLUSION: In the first 6 months of routine screening, there was no increase in identification of syphilis cases when compared to risk-based screening (P=0.17). This finding suggests that using a risk-based model (for example, screening individuals with scant to no prenatal care) is sufficient for identifying individuals in need of treatment.