Promoting influenza and pneumococcal immunization in older adults

Reducing the risk of influenza and pneumococcal disease in older adults is a long-standing goal of Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program and parallels the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal 10.

Since 1999 the West Virginia Medical Institute has worked with a statewide partnership of health organizations on a program to improve influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates in hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. Methods included education, audit and feedback, toolkits, and training meetings.

During the first three years (1999-2001) of the effort, the rate of assessment for pneumococcal immunization at discharge increased from < 10% to 74.1% statewide and for influenza immunization from near zero to 63.4% statewide. Since 2002 pneumococcal immunization administration has increased from 16.1% to 41.1%, with similar improvement in influenza measures.

Hospitals--and, by extension, long term care facilities--can make dramatic improvements in quality performance in a relatively short time when key staff receive feedback about the need to improve and the tools to assist in improving.