CHRISTUS Medical Group Quality Report
Documentation of Counseling Patients
About Influenza Vaccination
Why is this important?
Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness. It can cause mild to severe sickness. Every year in the United States an average of 36,000 people die from influenza, and 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.
Who needs a flu shot? Who does this apply to?
This measure applies to CMG’s Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatric providers (physicians, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants). Once a year, CMG audits patient charts for documented Influenza Vaccinations. CMG checks the charts/records of at-risk patients to make sure that providers have documented a discussion of the vaccination and/or that the patient received the vaccination. The current score listed is based on the June 2008 audit.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that the following patients receive Influenza vaccines this flu season:
- people at high risk for influenza-related complications and severe disease, including
- children aged 6 - 59 months;
- pregnant women;
- people over 50 years of age;
- people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, pulmonary and renal disease
- people who live with or care for those at high risk, including
- household members or visitors who have frequent contact with high risk individuals and who can transmit Influenza to them and
- health care workers.
If a patient refuses the vaccination, it must be documented. Unless refusal is due to allergy, providers must document in patients’ charts/records that they counseled them about receiving a flu vaccination every year during flu season. (This vaccine should not be given to individuals who are allergic to eggs.)
