CMS Approves Use of Standing Orders for Immunization
On October 1, 2002, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the
approval of the standing orders policy to promote greater access to flu
and pneumonia vaccinations among older Americans and others at high
risk for illness. AMDA member William Kavesh, MD, MPH, liaison to the
Standing Orders Project and the Advisory Committee on Immunization
Practices (ACIP), has been a driving force in this project since its
origination in 1999. AMDA was seen by the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) staff
as a valuable partner and consultant in many aspects of the process.
After a ten-state pilot program, research by CMS has shown that
standing orders are effective in increasing immunization rates. Using
standing orders can make vaccinating these high-risk patients routine
while the change makes it easier and faster for providers to be able to
give the vaccinations.
Standing orders are permanently placed in the patient's chart
indicating that the patient be told when it is time to get the flu or
pneumonia vaccination and they (or their responsible party if
appropriate) are asked if they want the vaccination. If the patient
chooses to be immunized, the vaccination is administered by trained
health care personnel without the need for a doctor to write a new
order each year. For more information, visit www.cms.gov/providerupdate/regs/cms3160fc.pdf.
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