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Who is at risk for influenza? Using criteria other than age
1Colorado Access, 501 S. Cherry St, Suite 700, Denver, CO 80246, USA. jenae_ernst@coaccess.com
Insights
Colorado Access developed a list of diagnostic codes to identify individuals at high risk for influenza, improving targeted vaccination efforts beyond age criteria. This strategy aids in planning preventive health programs for at-risk populations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Safety-net managed care organizations serve medically underserved populations, often including a high percentage of children.
- Identifying at-risk individuals for annual influenza vaccination is crucial for effective public health interventions.
- Traditional age-based criteria may not adequately identify all individuals at high risk for influenza complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a comprehensive list of diagnostic codes to identify high-risk individuals for influenza vaccination.
- To establish criteria for influenza vaccination eligibility beyond age-based recommendations.
- To support targeted preventive health programs within a managed care setting.
Main Methods:
- A task force of medical experts reviewed existing criteria and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations.
- Diagnostic criteria were correlated with ICD-9-CM codes (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification).
- A unified list of ICD-9-CM codes was developed to define populations recommended for influenza vaccination.
Main Results:
- A comprehensive list of ICD-9-CM codes was successfully developed.
- These codes identify diagnostic criteria for populations at risk for influenza, aligning with ACIP recommendations.
- The developed list facilitates the identification of individuals recommended for annual influenza vaccination.
Conclusions:
- Establishing specific diagnostic criteria for influenza vaccination enhances the planning of preventive health programs.
- The criteria developed by Colorado Access can be valuable for other health plans and agencies.
- Targeted identification of at-risk groups improves the efficiency and effectiveness of flu vaccination initiatives.
Purpose:
Colorado Access is a safety-net managed care organization that serves the medical and behavioral needs of the medically underserved. Because 75 percent of our population is children, we have had difficulty defining criteria to determine who is at risk for influenza and thus should receive an annual influenza vaccination. Our objective was to create a comprehensive list of diagnostic codes to be used to identify these high-risk individuals, using criteria other than age.
Methodology:
A task force of medical experts familiar with diseases and chronic conditions associated with influenza and pneumonia convened to determine criteria other than age that can be used to identify populations recommended to receive an annual influenza vaccination. The task force used previously published criteria, compared them to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, and developed a single, comprehensive diagnostic-criteria list that correlates with the ACIP recommendations, defined by ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, Fifth Edition) codes, to identify populations recommended to receive an annual influenza vaccination.
Principal Findings:
A comprehensive list of ICD-9 codes that indicate diagnostic criteria to be used to define populations at risk for influenza according to the ACIP recommendation was developed.
Conclusion:
Colorado Access found that having criteria to target groups recommended to receive an annual influenza vaccine facilitates the planning of preventive health programs. These criteria may be beneficial to other health plans and agencies that promote flu vaccination.