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Vaccines: Encouraging your patients to stay current
July 30, 2020

All health care practitioners who provide vaccines to our members.

We are asking you to please encourage your patients to keep their vaccinations up to date. Please see the resources below that you may share with your patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have both reported alarming drops in routine vaccination rates over the last few months. Some parents have concerns about bringing their children to a doctor’s office during the COVID-19 pandemic, but keeping vaccines current is critical.

Dr. Katherine Dallow, vice president and medical director of clinical programs and strategy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, says “We cannot avoid vaccines because of a fear of another disease. We'll ruin the herd immunity we've established, making populations susceptible to diseases we haven’t seen in many decades.”

How we're reminding members to stay on their vaccination schedule

We want you to know that we’re encouraging our members—your patients—to reach out to you if they aren’t current with their vaccines. In late July, we’re sending emails and texts to the parents or guardians of the following members, with these recommendations:

Age group Should receive
Children
  • Chicken pox (VZV) (1)
  • Hemophilus influenza type B (HiB) (3)
  • Hepatitis A (HepA) (1)
  • Hepatitis B (HepB) (3)
  • Influenza (flu) (2)
  • Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) (1)
  • Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV) (4)
  • Polio (IPV) (3)
  • Rotavirus (RV) (2 or 3)
  • Tetanus and acellular pertussis (Dtap)

All should be received by the second birthday.
Adolescents
  • Meningococcal serogroups (age 11-13)
  • Tdap (age 10-13)
  • HPV (age 9-13)
Sample email messages
Childhood Adolescent
   

We also send these emails in Spanish.

As always, thank you for the care you give your patients, our members.

Resources

 HPV fact sheet for members (English)
 HPV fact sheet for members (Spanish)
 HPV vaccination tips (webinar slides)
CDC vaccines & immunizations
Why it's important for kids to get vaccinated now (Coverage article for members)
For FEP specific information, visit fepblue.org

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