Comparison of influenza immunization rates for Oklahoma Medicare patients: 1995, 1996 and 1997

The Health Care Financing Administration has reported influenza immunization rates since 1994. The Department of Health and Human Services has set a minimum national target rate for the annual immunization of the elderly population at 60 percent, as published in Healthy People 2000. The Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality analyzed the Medicare claims data for Oklahoma for the 1995, 1996, and 1997 influenza seasons. Additionally, we reviewed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System influenza immunization data for 1995. Claims data for the 1997 influenza season show the immunization rate for the Medicare population of Oklahoma is 41.4 percent. The immunization rate for the African-American Medicare population was 22.3 percent for 1997, compared with 42.2 percent for the Caucasian population. The ten most populous counties in the state had a 9-percent higher rate of immunization than the other 67 counties. The Medicare population in Oklahoma is not receiving the influenza vaccination at the target rate. Especially underserved are the African-American and non-urban populations. There appear to be opportunities for improvement in the provision of the influenza vaccination for the Medicare population of Oklahoma.