Iowa Healthcare Collaborative & Iowa Department of Public Health

Health Care Personnel Immunization Expansion Project

Long Term Care Facility & Ambulatory Surgery Center Project Charter

Project Dates: August 2012-August 2014

The Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) has worked with Iowa hospitals to implement strategies to raise the standard for immunizing health care personnel (HCP) across the state since 2006. This work will now be expanded to include ancillary populations of workers, including long term care facilities (LTCF) and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC).

Influenza, a highly contagious, and life threatening respiratory illness, may cause severe morbidity and mortality in the long-term care and ambulatory surgical patient populations.1 Studies have demonstrated that 90% of influenza-associated deaths occur in people 65 years and over.2 HCP may acquire influenza both in the health care setting and in the community, and they can easily transmit the virus to patients and residents in their care. It has been proven that influenza outbreaks in LTCF can be correlated with low vaccination rates among facility HCP.2

In a survey of LTCF immunization strategies conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Nivin found multiple factors that contributed to successful employee vaccination programs.3 Of these factors, leadership support, and education proved to be leading factors towards success.

Health care organization leaders and staff need to mount a concerted effort to improve influenza immunization rates among HCP in the LTCF and ASC communities. Increasing influenza vaccination rates among HCP would reduce the burden of the disease and its associated health care costs. The IHC has established a statewide goal to increase Iowa’s influenza immunization rate over the next two years through the work of this campaign.

Facility inclusion:

Facilities included in the first cohort for phase one baseline establishment and phase 2 improvement cycle 1 (by Medicare payment structure definitions); NHs/SNFs (free-standing and HSP), ALP, and ASC.

Services available to LTCF & ASC during the Health Care Personnel Immunization Expansion Project:

  • Equip facilities with tools to deploy immunization strategy
  • Topically-focused webinars, conference calls, and toolkits presenting latest content
  • On-site education: Staff from IHC will provide on-site education to those facilities needing assistance implementing the immunization program
  • A web-based quality/safety measurement reporting system (QMRS) developed by IHA to provide real-time information to lead process improvement efforts
  • Leadership resources to assess organizational readiness, leadership engagement, and sustainability
  • Topical learning networks that will allow LTCF & ASCto collaborate in an effort to raise the standard of healthcare
  • Regional meetings to provide education and allow for engagement and interaction among multiple facilities.
  • Current and up-to-date access to state, federal and nonprofit resources promoting HCP immunizations and list of Iowa hospitals who agreed to serve as mentors for promoting best practices.
  • Tool Kit with the following information:
  • Evidence to justify focusing on raising immunization rates
  • How to implement an immunization program
  • How to collect and report data to IHC
  • Website access to tools that can be deployed by LTCF & ASC to raise awareness among their workforce

Expectations of participating LTCF & ASC:

  • Appointfacility employeeto serve as contactsfor the IHC Health Care Personnel Immunization Expansion Project
  • Work with IHC to capture current interventions and work plans on applicable focus areas at your institution and develop a work plan in alignment with the national aims
  • Report selected process and outcome metrics monthlyvia a web-based data system
  • Complete a Leadership survey annually
  • Pursue a culture of safety and accountability

Please identifythe contacts that will represent your organization:

Main Contact First/Last Name: / Job Title: / Email: / Phone:
Signature (Administrator Position) / Date
Facility Name / City

Please return form to one of the following:

Email: Fax: 515-698-5130

Mail: 100 E Grand Ave. Suite 360, Des Moines, IA 50309

Phone: 515-283-9312