PROJECT IMPACT: IMMUNIZATIONS
The Results
From October 2015 through March 2016, over 1,000 influenza vaccines + forecast reviews + patient education in the eight community practices have yielded results greater than the pilot expected:
- There were 1,566 additional vaccinations due for 1,080 patients at the time they were receiving the influenza vaccine
- For every patient that requested an influenza vaccination, an additional 1.45 vaccines were considered due as forecasted by the technology
- Of the 1,566 additional vaccinations due, pharmacist assessments identified 36 contraindications and 196 potential duplications, leaving a net of 1,334 unmet vaccination needs eligible for vaccination
- 447 of the 1,334 (33.5%) unmet vaccination needs were resolved during the 6-month study period
- 426 (95.3%) were administered by the pharmacist at the point-of-care
- 21 (4.7%) were resolved at a patient-initiated follow up visit
- The remainder of patients were educated about their unmet vaccination needs and received recommendations to follow-up
- 447 additional vaccines were administered as a result of using this innovative model of care, resulting in a 41.4% increase in the number of vaccines administered
A full report of the pilot project is published in Population Health Management; DOI: 10.1089/pop.2017.0049, June 2017.
Project IMPACT Immunizations validated that an innovative model of care that empowers pharmacists to use actionable data at the point-of-care will result in the identification and resolution of unmet vaccination needs. If we continue to explore how to successfully integrate, sustain, and scale streamlined, cost-effective processes of care that allow pharmacists and other healthcare providers to utilize actionable point-of-care data to effectively engage and educate patients, we can improve vaccination rates across the United States.