Health System Spotlight with Oregon Health and Science University: Improving Immunization Access for Older Adults-Health System Spotlight: Oregon Health and Science University Slides

Health System Spotlight: Oregon Health and Science University Slides

Pdf Summary

The document discusses efforts to improve immunization access for older adults at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Identified challenges included medical assistants (MAs) not routinely initiating vaccines, lack of pre-visit planning for vaccines, inability to offer Medicare Part D vaccines in clinic, vaccine refusal not always communicated to providers, and lack of autonomy for MAs to administer vaccines. An area for improvement was identified where patients requiring Medicare Part D vaccines were referred to an external pharmacy, creating a barrier. To address this, a meeting was scheduled with the pharmacy team to establish a process for administering these vaccines in-clinic. A new workflow was implemented where MAs place vaccine orders in Epic, communicate with the pharmacy through MS Teams, and administer the vaccine in the clinic. Findings indicated that offering Medicare Part D vaccines in clinic improved access and did not encounter significant issues. The main challenges involved updating the EHR system and finalizing agreements with the pharmacy. Overall, these changes facilitated easier access to vaccinations for older adults.

Keywords

immunization access

older adults

Oregon Health & Science University

medical assistants

vaccine administration

Medicare Part D vaccines

clinic workflow

pharmacy collaboration

EHR system

vaccination access