Getting Patients Vaccinated for Flu and COVID Without Adding Work for Providers

I love summer, but this one marked the largest surge in COVID cases in two years. Most people probably barely noticed that, unless of course they were sick. Welcome to our new normal.

Fall marks the beginning of flu season, right? Not this one. This fall is complicated for clinicians, who must once again communicate with patients about vaccines. Getting patients to take a flu shot was already an uphill battle; add to that, people are sick of hearing about COVID, and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is confusing because not everyone is at risk.

The assumption is that talking to patients about vaccines should only take clinicians a minute. But in reality, communicating with patients about the specific vaccination guidelines for each of the diseases in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now calling this “pan-respiratory season” is time-consuming. It’s not realistic to expect doctors to deliver all the messaging around vaccination, while addressing patients’ most pressing health concerns, in just a short appointment. One study shows that for a primary care provider to give each patient comprehensive preventive care, they’d need 27 hours a day.

At Phreesia, we are not going to sit around as temperatures drop and rates of respiratory diseases rise. We are focused on finding solutions to helping patients get vaccinated, and we have a proven track record that they work.         

We’ve even had success reaching patients who may be concerned about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, lack awareness of the benefits of being vaccinated or simply forget they are due for vaccines.

Based on our experience of delivering more than 20.2 million messages to patients about vaccines, we have the expertise to make a real difference in immunization rates. What we’ve learned is that most patients are looking for a trusted, familiar source to deliver their vaccines, like their doctor, to make vaccination more accessible and less daunting. But if we deliver valuable and accurate information to patients before the appointment begins, it makes the clinician’s work easier. A lot of people need a nudge, and we give it to them just in time.

The best time to connect with patients is when they’re checking in at their provider’s office, when healthcare is top of mind. Phreesia can deliver tailored immunization messages to patients, and we have research showing the right messages delivered in the right context helps boost vaccination rates by as much as 10 times.         

The numbers speak for themselves: half the patients who received vaccine messages said the information was new to them, and two in three said they were likely to discuss vaccines with their doctor. And critically, this messaging doesn’t require anything additional from providers—although it is delivered in a healthcare setting.

I’m optimistic this strategy is what is needed to increase vaccine uptake during pan-respiratory virus season, largely because we’ve seen so much success in recent digital immunization campaigns. ?

That’s why I was so pleased to see the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launch the Risk Less. Do More. Campaign. Phreesia is excited to support this campaign, drawing on our proven track record of getting patients to stay up to date on their vaccines, as one tool to encourage vaccinations this respiratory virus season.

I’ll continue to post updates throughout the season about the importance of getting vaccinated. I can’t wait to see where we’re able to make a difference through effective communication directly with patients, taking some of the burden off clinicians and at the same time, helping patients take an active role in their own healthcare journey so they can achieve the best possible health outcomes.