Linking Vaccinations to a Required Activity

• 7/16/2009
• Author: Janet Pimentel
• Category: The Source Blog
• 25019 Views
• 0 Comments
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In 2007, The Joint Commission implemented a new standard in hospitals and long term care facilities requiring that influenza vaccinations be offered to staff and licensed independent practitioners.  For the hospital program, I’m referring specifically to Standard IC.02.04.01 and for the long term care program I’m referring to IC.4.15.  These requirements include organizations annually evaluating vaccination rates, providing reasons for staff declining the vaccination, and taking steps to increase the flu vaccination rates. Participation from staff can often be difficult to achieve, but organizations can find some good practical, how-to compliance information in The Joint Commission’s recently released monograph entitled “Providing a Safer Environment for Health Care Personnel and Patients Through Influenza Vaccination: Strategies from Research and Practice.”  

You might not be able to do every idea, but there are quite a few good examples provided throughout the free monograph to help any size organization work on compliance with these standards. One suggestion that grabbed my attention was for an organization to link vaccinations with a required activity. For example, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia tied staff participation in its flu vaccination program to its Code of Conduct policy. Beginning with the 2008–2009 season, staff members had to either accept the vaccination, show proof of having received it elsewhere, or decline the vaccination. Those employees who took advantage of the organization’s program were eligible for an employee bonus payment. As a result, staff vaccination acceptance rates increased from 33% in 2006–2007 to 59% in 2007–2008 and to 71.1% in 2008–2009. That’s impressive!