Increase Immunization Rates This Summer

With kids home from school for summer break, it’s a great time for members with children to schedule their immunizations, especially ahead of back-to-school season. 

As you know, there are vaccination requirements for daycare and school, and certain immunizations are recommended at specific ages. See vaccination recommendations for ages seven to 18, and six and under, and health activities on the CDC website. 

There are multiple strategies you can use to engage with the parents of your younger patients to improve their immunization rates. This includes educating your care teams about scheduling visits within guideline time frames, proactively scheduling vaccination appointments, and checking for accurate and thorough chart prep prior to an appointment (even sick visits) so you will be prepared to review immunization gaps. You can also advise your patients on why the timely completion of each vaccine series is important and provide them handouts on the diseases/illnesses that the vaccines prevent. 

This is a quality measure based on the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures initiative.