Vaccines are one of the best tools to promote better health outcomes.
Millions of lives are saved each year because of vaccine adherence, but unfortunately, at least one-third of all parents still do not adhere to the recommended vaccine schedule by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Adult vaccination rates also remain low for most routinely recommended vaccines and the prevalence of vaccine-preventable illnesses among older adults is notably high. Vaccine schedules are designed to:
- Ensure ideal timing
- Prevent complications
- Ensure early protection
- Provide the most effective protection
- Provide long-term protection
- Avoid the spread of illness
Despite the positive health outcomes that benefit patients, vaccine schedules do not rid us of underlying challenges surrounding hesitancy. Ultimately, a comprehensive, strategic approach that increases awareness can help. My recent white paper discusses specific strategies and best practices surrounding vaccination awareness and education.
In addition to improving the health of patients, vaccinations are also one of the most cost-effective interventions that contribute to health care system efficiency. Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the vaccination of children between 1994 and 2018 saved the United States nearly $406 billion in direct medical costs and $1.88 trillion in societal costs.
There is a clear call to action for the health care ecosystem to overcome the barriers to immunization by improving communication and effectively conveying the benefits of vaccines to the public. Developing a data-driven strategy can help health care organizations increase awareness, improver health outcomes, and avoid high costs of care associated with vaccine-preventable diseases. Inovalon’s Vaccine Adherence Program can help bridge coordination and engagement gaps.
At little to no cost to the health plan, this program makes message delivery about timely vaccine series completion easier and helps to package targeted disease education efforts to support vaccine uptake.
With a little assistance, health plans and other members of the healthcare ecosystem can contribute to vaccine education and awareness among the public and achieve greater adherence to the recommended schedule.
Contact us today to learn more about Inovalon’s solutions.
About the author
Paige Kilian, M.D., serves as the chief medical officer (CMO) for Inovalon. In this role, Dr. Kilian is responsible for the oversight of the medical directors of the company, the clinical content and design of the company’s software and analytics, and the clinical training, quality, policies, oversight, and compliance of associated operations. For more than a decade, Dr. Kilian has led a team of clinical personnel who bring the latest best practices and evidence-based clinical standards to Inovalon’s products and services. Dr. Kilian is well known throughout the health care community as an expert on the application of data, software, and analytics to the benefit of clinical protocols, care guidelines, real-world healthcare clinical workflow, and regulatory policy guidelines adherence. Most recently, Dr. Kilian has been recognized with the Healthcare Business Women’s Association 2020 Luminary award.
Prior to joining Inovalon in 2007, Dr. Kilian was in clinical practice with Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, where she served as medical director with responsibilities including patient care, clinical training of medical students and residents, and clinical oversight of a multispecialty practice.
Dr. Kilian graduated summa cum laude from Washington and Lee University and earned her doctorate in medicine from Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.