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Background: Since 2005, Iowa has conducted combined VFC/AFIX visits. Annually, approximately half of Iowa’s VFC enrolled providers receive a visit. Site visits are based on: date of the last site visit, clinics that have had a storage and handling event, received an assessment rate lower than 75% in the previous visit, and/or enrolled in the VFC Program within the previous year.
Setting: All VFC providers who receive an AFIX visit in 2009 and 2010.
Population: Iowa has over 580 private and publicly enrolled Vaccines for Children Providers. Annually, the Iowa Immunization Program visits half of these providers using combined VFC/AFIX site visits.
Project Description: Beginning in 2008, the program began evaluating the quality of VFC/AFIX visits. In 2009, the evaluation was expanded to include additional components to specifically evaluate the implementation of clinic-established goals to improve immunization practices. Using the new evaluation criteria, Iowa has collected data on one hundred and thirty-eight site visits conducted from January through November 2009. Interviews with healthcare providers are conducted via phone calls. During these interviews the provider is asked if the goals set during the feedback session have been implemented, why or why not, and what the Iowa Immunization Program can do to aid the provider.
Results/Lessons Learned: Preliminary data indicate providers who set their own AFIX goals were more likely to have implemented the goals compared with providers that were given AFIX recommendations from AFIX staff. The Iowa Immunization Program has noticed there is hesitancy for providers to set their own goals, it has been necessary to create sample goals for providers who struggle to set their own.