Show me the Money: The Use of Recall as a Revenue Generator for the Immunization Provider

Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to:
1. Identify the efficacy of registry-based recall projects
2. Understand that immunization recall is cost effective and can generate revenue for the provider.

Background:
Client recall is a proven method of increasing immunization coverage levels, and is used by providers to identify and contact patients who are overdue for immunizations.

Setting:
23 urban clinics in the Greater Houston Area with a wide payor mix

Population:
Children aged 19-35 months.

Project Description:
High school and college students reconciled patients' paper immunization records with their corresponding electronic records in the Houston-Harris County Immunization Registry during June-August, 2007. After record consolidation, parents of children needing immunizations were contacted by mail and/or phone and encouraged to provide documentation of missing immunizations, if already administered, or to schedule an appointment to receive those needed.

Results/Lessons Learned:
Preliminary analysis of eight participating clinics identified 2,980 children as needing immunizations. Of these children, 32% (n=968) were up-to-date after record defragmentation, while an additional 18% (n=543) scheduled appointments. Furthermore, a total of 44% (n=1,304) of children originally recalled were brought up-to-date after record defragmentation and completion of the project.
Preliminary data for three participating clinics show that an average of $153.68 was billed for each child who scheduled an appointment after being recalled.
Lessons learned:
• Registry-based recall can aid in increasing childhood immunization rates, thus protecting against vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Low immunization rates may be due to fragmented documentation, and not incomplete immunization.
• Immunization recall is cost-effective, especially if implemented during early summer months when patient volume is traditionally low.
• Staff commitment and patient loyalty positively impacted the success of the project.