The role of data in COVID-19 vaccination record keeping
Now that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the FDA for use in the US, and the Moderna vaccine likely isn’t far behind, we are now on the verge of being able to emerge from the social distancing world that began earlier in 2020. Recent news has talked about distributing a vaccination record card to everyone who gets a COVID-19 vaccine.
Data and analytics will play a pivotal role in tracking and record keeping, and how can healthcare organizations leverage both to help them manage this important point in the pandemic?
Reporting requirements
In addition to vaccination record cards, clinics are also expected to report to state immunization registries about what vaccine was administered that allows them to run queries to find out where the patient got the first dose, as well as which vaccine was given. Also, every dose administered will likely need to be reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC did not offer an immediate response about whether it plans to keep a record of every person immunized, but clearly, the right number of vaccines will require extensive and careful record keeping. In addition to state registries and the CDC, records will also need to be relayed to primary care physicians and into electronic health records, and of course reported back to health insurance plans for claims processing. Healthcare, after all, is an ecosystem and every part of it plays a key role in patient care.
What to do with all that additional data
With large amounts of data streaming into and outside of healthcare organizations, the opportunity exists to get ahead of tracking and record keeping for better insights and analytics. For example, for healthcare providers there is huge potential for using data to promote population health initiatives and coordinate overall patient care. Healthcare providers can also benefit from data and analytics in the following ways:
- By leveraging revenue cycle processes throughout the care continuum to ensure appropriate reimbursements for vaccinations.
- By pulling data from streaming vitals if we reach a point where vaccination records can be maintained on a FitBit, phone or other connected device.
- By using data to improve care coordination. For example, if a patient visits a physician with COVID symptoms, the doctor can verify whether they’ve received the vaccine to determine appropriate testing and treatment plans.
- By submitting accurate vaccination billing and coding for submission of claims to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
- By reporting back to pharmaceutical companies detailed, secure patient information about unusual vaccine side effects that may not have been revealed during clinical trials.
Health plans can also benefit from data management and analysis:
- Population health initiatives can be reinforced by integrating data from diverse and disparate sources to build a complete and accurate picture of members—for example, are certain member populations avoiding getting vaccinated and if yes, develop campaigns to encourage compliance.
- Payment integrity can be maintained by helping determine if patients have legitimately been vaccinated to help detect fraud detection and prevention, and streamline pre- and post-adjudication claims analysis and overpayment.
- Member engagement can help analyze populations to gain complete member views that include social determinants of health and consumer analytics—for example, are certain populations avoiding vaccines because they lack transportation to get to a vaccination center?
As always, we are committed to helping wherever and however appropriate.How your organization is preparing for the COVID-19 vaccines?
Learn more about how to deliver better health outcomes and lower the total cost of care with Cloudera.
Editor's Choice
