Remind Patients to Get Influenza Vaccination

Every year, our members receive the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS^®) survey to collect information about their health care experiences. One of the questions asked on the survey is, “Have you had either a flu shot or flu spray in the nose since July 1 of the previous year?”

As this year’s flu season approaches, it’s important to ask our members if they, and their children 6 months of age and older, received a flu shot this year. If they haven’t, we encourage you to explain the benefits and work on a plan to help them get one.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seasonal flu is a serious disease that causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths every year in the U.S.¹ The CDC encourages you to remind your patients of the following benefits:²

• Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
• Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults.
• Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions.
• Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.
• Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
• Getting vaccinated yourself may also help protect people around you.

Resources

• BCBSTX Quality Improvement tip sheets
• BCBSTX Preventive Care Guidelines
• BCBSTX Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Texas Health Steps for Medical Providers , which includes all current vaccine schedules, the ImmTrac2  Texas Immunization Registry and other important guidance for treating members.

¹ CDC, Why CDC Estimates the Burden of Season Influenza in the U.S., Oct. 25, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/why-cdc-estimates.htm 

² CDC, What are the benefits of flu vaccination? June 8, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccine-benefits.htm 

CAHPS is a registered trademark of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

The above material is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician or other health care provider. Physicians and other health care providers are encouraged to use their own medical judgment based upon all available information and the condition of the patient in determining the appropriate course of treatment. The fact that a service or treatment is described in this material is not a guarantee that the service or treatment is a covered benefit and members should refer to their certificate of coverage for more details, including benefits, limitations, and exclusions. Regardless of benefits, the final decision about any service or treatment is between the member and their health care provider.

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