Increasing Immunization Registry Provider Participation and Immunization Completion Rates with Incentive Payments; Medicaid Pay-for-Performance in Louisiana

Background:
In Louisiana, 90% of children's vaccinations are administered by private providers or other non-public health clinics. Because of this, critical components in achieving the Year 2010 immunization goals include increased use of LINKS by private providers along with their enrollment in the VFC program and the Louisiana Medicaid Primary Care Case Management Program (CommunityCARE PCP).
Louisiana Medicaid has implemented an immunization pay-for-performance initiative which includes incentive supplemental payments to providers. This initiative is being implemented to promote up-to-date immunizations of Louisiana Medicaid eligible children. Participation in this program requires that the Medicaid providers enter the Medicaid eligible children's vaccination records in LINKS.
By the end of this presentation participants will:
1. Understand the objectives of LINKS in partnering with the Medicaid pay-for-performance initiatives
2. Understand how the initiative promotes up-to-date immunizations of Medicaid eligible children
3. Be familiar with the outcomes of the pay-for-performance program in terms of increased provider participation in LINKS as well as immunization rates among the Medicaid eligible population
4. Understand how this initiative helps to ensure sustainment of the immunization registry

Setting:
Louisiana Medicaid program, the private provider community and the OPH Immunization Program.

Population:
Medicaid eligible children.

Project Description:
The activities included provider recruitment and user training for LINKS; establishment of performance measures and an assessment of success in achieving the performance measures.

Results/Lessons Learned:
Payment incentives to the private provider community can be effective in raising the immunization rates among targeted populations. Initiatives of this type can help to sustain immunization registry systems.