Mon, Oct 13 2008
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Published July 07, 2008 11:20 pm - TOPEKA, Kan. — Nearly half of Kansas’ counties don’t have a private health care provider who gives childhood immunizations, and public health advocates see that as a big issue in trying to boost immunization rates. The Immunize Kansas Kids project recommends that the state work to increase payments to doctors by both insurance companies and government programs. It also proposes that the state consider centralized purchasing of vaccines to lower their costs to providers — and, ultimately, to families. Public health advocates outline immunization plan The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. — Nearly half of Kansas’ counties don’t have a private health care provider who gives childhood immunizations, and public health advocates see that as a big issue in trying to boost immunization rates. The Immunize Kansas Kids project recommends that the state work to increase payments to doctors by both insurance companies and government programs. It also proposes that the state consider centralized purchasing of vaccines to lower their costs to providers — and, ultimately, to families. The project is a partnership of private groups and the state Department of Health and Environment. Its steering committee released recommendations Monday for improving the state’s immunization rates. About 79 percent of Kansas children received the necessary shots against diseases such as measles and polio on time before entering school in 2006, ranking the state 35th in the nation. Public health advocates want to raise the immunization rate to 90 percent and keep it there. “We really don’t have a sufficient number of providers that give immunizations,” Gianfranco Pezzino, interim director of public health studies at the Kansas Health Institute, said during a news conference. The steering committee’s other recommendations included improving education for parents of newborns and accelerating development of an existing Internet-based registry to track immunizations. “We must improve our immunization system in Kansas,” said Rod Bremby, secretary of health and environment. Preliminary figures suggested the initiatives could cost $2.3 million over the next two years, though officials said the numbers will be developed further over time. Advocates believe the public health benefits will far outweigh the costs. “The benefits of these immunizations are undeniable, but despite this, the immunization rates in our state are still in need of improvement,” said Dennis Cooley, a Topeka pediatrician. Immunize Kansas Kids said 49 of the state’s 105 counties don’t have private health care providers who give childhood immunizations, meaning parents there must rely on public health departments. Reimbursements are a significant issue, officials said. Cooley said that some vaccines cost more than $100 per dose, and that doesn’t cover the cost of refrigerating them or training staff to administer them. Pezzino said insurance companies vary in their policies for reimbursing providers, and sometimes families can’t afford shots even if they have coverage. “Many providers simply cannot afford to lose money every time they give an immunization,” Pezzino said. ——— 
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