Practice Management Alert

Hint: The term includes staff beyond direct care providers.

At this point, most clinicians and their staff have had at least one round of either the Pfizer or Moderna two-part vaccinations. But if you’re still confused about who in your office should be pursuing vaccination, keep this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance in mind.

There have been questions about the equity of vaccination distribution, with data showing that the majority of people receiving the vaccination are white, wealthy, and have at least some higher education. But make sure that your practice vaccination list includes everyone who works with you.

Look to Expansive Definition

The CDC includes a fairly expansive definition of healthcare personnel (HCP), as far as COVID-19 is concerned. Though vaccination distribution rules are largely determined by each individual state, the CDC has marked the following roles as HCP and instructs that they should be pursuing complete vaccination:

• Emergency medical service personnel,
• Nurses and nursing assistants,
• Physicians,
• Technicians,
• Therapists,
• Dentists,
• Dental hygienists and assistants,
• Phlebotomists,
• Pharmacists,
• Students and trainees,
• Contractual staff,
• Dietary and food services staff,
• Environmental services staff, and
• Administrative staff.

Make Every Team Member a Priority

The CDC explicitly reminds providers that these recommendations pertain to both paid and unpaid HCP, so don’t forget any interns or other team members who aren’t full-time employees.

As of publication, nearly 400,000 HCP had contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and more than 1,300 have died.

Although there are possible risks associated with vaccination, the benefits vastly outweigh the risks, experts including the CDC say. Besides protecting HCP on an individual basis, vaccination helps preserve the capacity of the nation’s healthcare systems, as well as minimizing the risk that HCP will accidentally infect patients.

Make sure you’re advocating for all of your team members to be vaccinated, providing transparent answers about the small risks associated with vaccination, and trying to eliminate misinformation about vaccination safety or efficacy.

Check out these COVID-19 vaccination toolkits, if you need more information: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/toolkits.html.