Projects Aim to Boost Immunization Rates in Minority Patients

Academy Invites FPs to Participate; Application Deadline Is Jan. 8

December 10, 2020, 1:55 pm Michael Devitt -- Although vaccines are routinely hailed as one of the most successful public health achievements of the 20th century, increasing levels of misinformation about vaccines and mistrust of health care professionals have combined to keep adult immunization rates in the United States well below the goals originally set by the federal government’s Healthy People 2020 initiative. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this issue more challenging, as evidence suggests that concerns about coronavirus infection have resulted in fewer people visiting their primary care clinicians for immunizations and other routine forms of patient care.

Selected family medicine practices will complete an AAFP conflict of interest form and a memorandum of understanding, and designate both an office champion and a physician champion.

For the Improving Adult Immunization Rates Among Minority Populations QI Initiative, participants must also agree to

• conduct four chart reviews of 50 randomly selected adult patient medical records during the pre-intervention, post-intervention, sustainability and evaluation stages of the project, following parameters distributed during the course of the project; and
• attend a virtual educational training conference in April 2021 and an in-person educational conference on lessons learned in June 2025.

The 25 practices that are chosen to participate in and complete the Minority Populations project will each receive $4,000 to help offset administrative costs based on achieving a series of milestones. In addition, the physician champion and/or office champion who attends the June 2025 educational conference will be reimbursed for travel expenses.

For the Improving Immunization Rates Among African American Adults QI Initiative, participants must also agree to

• conduct two chart reviews of 20 randomly selected adult patient medical records during the pre-intervention and post-intervention stages of the project, following parameters distributed during the course of the project; and
• attend a virtual educational training conference in April 2021.

Each of the 10 practices that are selected to participate in and complete the African American Adults project will receive $1,000 to cover administrative costs, with payments made based on the completion of certain milestones.

Both projects are expected to begin work in February 2021. The African American Adults project is expected to last through February 2022, while the Minority Populations project is expected to last through July 2025.

Importance of Participation

Savoy expanded on the significance of the QI initiatives.

“Projects like this are important because they shine a light on something we may assume we are doing well but the evidence would suggest otherwise,” Savoy told AAFP News. “Even vaccine champions who routinely encourage their patients to vaccinate may not have taken the time to explore whether their approaches and messages have been hitting home for everyone.

“If we want to ensure all patients have access to optimal health, we need to make sure we are reaching everyone, and that sometimes means approaching conversations differently or even challenging our (possibly untrue) beliefs that certain people just don’t get vaccines so there is no reason to keep offering them.”

Savoy also explained what she hopes the projects will accomplish, and how FPs can use the information obtained in the initiatives to improve patient care.

“I hope the selected practices take this as an opportunity to engage patients of color when planning their interventions and evaluating how the process changes went,” Savoy said.

“Messaging, perceptions and concerns are very local, and what works for one community may not be as successful in another. Learning with and from our patients about what their concerns are and past experiences have been and then identifying how we can partner to improve their health through vaccination is just one step in us creating trauma-sensitive, patient-centered health care spaces.”

Just as some patients may be hesitant to receive vaccines, some members may be hesitant about participating in these initiatives. Asked what she would say to an FP who was on the fence about submitting an application, Savoy gave a succinct answer.

“Apply!” she said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Application Information

Applications for the Minority Populations and African American Adults initiatives are available online. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 8, 2021, to Pamela Carter-Smith, M.P.A., the Academy’s senior strategist for population and community health by emailing the form to pcarter@aafp.org, faxing it to 913-906-6099 or mailing it to

Pamela Carter-Smith, M.P.A.
Research, Science and Health of the Public
American Academy of Family Physicians
11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway
Leawood, KS 66211-2680

Academy members who have additional questions are encouraged to contact Carter-Smith for more information.