New Flu Vaccination Trend: Doctors Outsource

Passport Health's headquarters announces that beginning this October 2006, it has contracted with private physicians offices to hold scheduled flu shot clinics, during which patients can walk in to get a flu vaccination at their doctors' office. More than a dozen doctors' offices in the Baltimore area have already arranged these services, and more contracts are expected.

Passport Health's 120 offices nationwide are offering this service, in addition to traditional work-site vaccinations, which they have offered for years. Vaccinations are done by experienced Passport Health Registered Nurses. Vaccine storage and handling are taken care of by Passport Health, and Passport Health's professionals are available to answer patient concerns or questions following vaccination. Due to the erratic supply and demand history of influenza vaccine, an increased number of physicians are opting out of carrying flu vaccine. (Recently, the Atlanta Constitution reported that the CDC is voicing concerns about a reduction in this season's flu vaccine supplies in the U.S., due to FDA concerns about 11 lots of contaminated concentrate used to make flu vaccine at Sanofi Pasteur's Swiftwater, Pa. plant.) "A lot of doctors have realized it's not cost-effective to handle the flu vaccine anymore, especially with the past five years of the flu vaccine supply debacle," says Fran Lessans, RN, MS, CEO of Passport Health. "We are becoming a physician extender for vaccinations. Primary care doctors' offices are unable to balance phone calls and appointments from worried patients with the unpredictability of when they will receive their vaccines each fall or winter. Passport Health alleviates the stress of this unpredictable situation for the physician's staff and offers efficient flu clinic hours at the doctor's office. Third party reimbursement is often below the cost of the vaccine, supplies, monitored refrigerated storage and documentation. Doctors are unable to waste precious staff resources managing the erratic situation that flu vaccinations have become." With purchases of more than $8 million a year in vaccinations, Passport Health has the ability to cope with the ups and downs of the flu vaccine supply challenge. Passport Health's immunization centers dispense more than one million flu shots nationwide. Founded in 1997, Passport Health is the largest private purchaser of vaccinations in the U.S., second only to the Federal Government. Passport Health's diverse services include on-site flu clinics and bioterrorism response. Passport Health specializes in travel immunizations, travel health counseling with itinerary-specific education, travel health products and international security counseling. Passport Health has been involved in providing anthrax vaccinations to the U.S. military, Post Office and Federal employees, as well as providing smallpox vaccination training. For more information, go to www.passporthealthusa.com or call 410-727-0556.

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