Archive for: Immunization

States Race to Create COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Plans, October 2020. As COVID-19 vaccine development continues, states are racing to develop distribution plans. NASHP recently convened state officials who discussed preparations for vaccine storage and administration, data tracking, and capacity issues. They noted that while guidance is emerging, there is currently no unified federal plan detailing who will pay for its deployment, how it will be equitably distributed, and effective vaccine messaging. This blog explores what questions remain.

States Factor in COVID-19’s Impact on Immunizations and VBP Incentives, June 2020. In recent years, a number of state Medicaid programs have instituted value-based payment (VBP) programs to reward managed care organizations for quality care, including achieving high child immunization rates. However, COVID-19 has reduced in-person visits and immunization rates, and this blog examines federal and state guidance and flexibility in VBP incentive calculations to accommodate these declines.

States Establish New Telehealth Policies to Safeguard Well-Child Care and Immunizations, May 2020. COVID-19 has affected children’s access to preventive care across the country; while states’ expanded telehealth policies can increase access to care, in-person visits are still needed for delivery of immunizations and other critical screenings. This blog highlights new state policies on telehealth and well-child visits to ensure children stay healthy during this pandemic and beyond. 

State Levers to Improve Immunization Rates: Alabama’s Experience, February 2020. Alabama employs a multifaceted approach to boost immunization rates among its Medicaid, public, and privately covered populations. This NASHP blog details the state’s strategies, including various payment and reimbursement incentives, reporting protocols, and cross-agency partnerships.

State Medicaid Levers to Promote Immunization: California’s Experience, September 2019. This NASHP blog highlights strategies California is using to increase childhood immunization rates among Medicaid enrollees, including incentivizing providers, using the state immunization registry to monitor vaccination uptake and requiring managed care organizations to monitor and report on quality measures.

Using Data and Innovation, States Work to Improve Maternal Vaccination Rates, November 2019. This NASHP blog examines different strategies California, Colorado, and Wisconsin are using to improve maternal vaccination rates, ranging from including requirements and incentives in Medicaid managed care contracts to using data to identify populations, regions, and providers with low immunization rates.

Hawaii Fights the Flu with Pop-up Clinics and State Agency Collaboration, February 2019. This NASHP blog highlights Hawaii’s collaboration between its state education and health departments, which led to “pop-up,” school-based vaccination clinics to increase flu vaccination rates and protect children’s health.

To address immunization gaps among low-income pregnant women, and children, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), AcademyHealth, and Immunize Colorado coordinated efforts through a three-year US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control cooperative agreement to support states in implementing immunization improvement strategies and policies. The project team convened a community of practice, staff from Medicaid agencies, immunization programs, and immunization information systems in five states. 

Announcement of a New Community of Practice to Improve Immunization Rates, November 2020. NASHP and AcademyHealth announce a new community of practice focused on immunizations. Funded by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement, Eliminating Barriers to Immunization Through Collaborative Use of State Agency Resources, AcademyHealth and NASHP seeks five to seven states, whose multidisciplinary teams will include a Medicaid medical or policy director, immunization state program manager, and state immunization information system coordinator, to form a community of practice. Each state’s team will identify barriers to and share practices for increasing immunization rates. Learn more. 

Results of a Five-State Community of Practice to Improve Medicaid Immunization Rates through Partnerships, October 2020. NASHP coordinated a CDC funded five-state community of practice to facilitate states’ work in interdisciplinary cross-agency teams to address access and other challenges to reduce immunization gaps among low-income pregnant women and children. This blog highlights approaches and lessons learned that can help states address disparities and improve access to vaccines.

State Snapshots Identify Immunization Successes, September 2020. NASHP and AcademyHealth’s CDC-funded community of practice created these state snapshots to provide an overview of this five-state project and successes the five states achieved to increase immunization rates among Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women and children.

How to Boost Vaccine Rates for Low-Income Families, October 2018. This PEW Charitable Trusts article explores a Community of Practice Immunization project, co-led by the National Academy for State Health Policy, AcademyHealth, and the Colorado Children’s Immunization Project.

State Officials Work to Harness Medicaid as a Change Agent to Increase Immunization Rates, July 2018. This reports on a meeting led by NASHP, AcademyHealth, and the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, which convened state officials and experts to identify strategies to improve immunization rates among Medicaid-enrolled children and pregnant women.

Immunization Community of Practice, February 2018. AcademyHealth and NASHP, with support from the Immunize Colorado, worked with state officials interested in improving their immunization rates among low-income children and pregnant women in a Community of Practice. Medicaid agencies worked with public health and Immunization Information System partners to improve policies and outreach to increase immunization rates.

New Program Helps State Medicaid Programs Close an Immunization Disparity Gap, February 2018. This NASHP blog explores how states can improve immunization rates among low-income children by addressing health equity.

State Immunization Strategies to Promote Children’s Preventive Services, last updated September 2016. These maps and 50-state chart illustrate state Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program performance-improvement initiatives that promote children’s preventive services, including immunizations and American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures recommendations.

Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months — United States, 2017, October 2018. This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review (MMWR) article highlights current vaccination coverage data and trends.

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, Immunizations, and MMWR –1961 – 2011, October 2011. This CDC report discusses the history of vaccine-preventable diseases, current global efforts, and the future of immunizations.