Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1) Identify features of a private physician office that are associated with best immunization practices.
2) Discuss challenges to quality improvement in physician offices.
3) Describe strategies to improve community immunization rates by maximizing office based immunization.



Background:
Most U.S. children receive their immunization in their medical home. Although childhood immunization rates are at all-time high levels, most U.S. children are not immunized at the recommended ages. Assisting private physician offices and clinics to raise and maintain on-time immunization rates through quality improvement efforts is a cost-efficient strategy to raise overall rates in communities.


Setting:
The Ohio Chapter - American Academy of Pediatrics, collaborating with the Ohio Department of Health Immunization Program and a network of one hundred local public health immunization nurses, operates Maximizing Office Based Immunization (MOBI), a statewide provider education quality improvement program.


Population:
MOBI, together with AFIX, educates pediatrician and family physician private offices on the strategies to increase on-time immunization of infants and children in their practice.


Project Description:
Prior to the presentation, physician offices are asked about their adherence to twelve “best immunization practices”. At the conclusion of the presentation, each office chooses at least one specific improvement to institute. Successful adoption of improvement is determined several weeks later.


Results/Lessons Learned:
In 2005, nearly 400 Ohio pediatrician and family physician offices received MOBI. Half also had a CASA/AFIX evaluation. Existing positive immunization performance is associated with a willingness to receive AFIX. Great opportunity exists to improve the performance of offices that decline AFIX. Characteristics and performance of physician offices who do not receive MOBI are unknown. Poorer performing practices should be targeted for intervention.