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Pediatricians’ Experiences with and Perceptions of the Vaccines for Children Program
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3 2020
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Source: Pediatrics. 145(3)
[PDF-124.76 KB]
Details:
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Alternative Title:Pediatrics
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Personal Author:
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Description:Background and Objectives:
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines for children who may not otherwise be vaccinated because of financial barriers. Pediatrician participation is crucial to VFC’s ongoing success. Our objectives were to assess among a national sample of pediatricians: 1) VFC program participation; 2) perceived burden versus benefit of participation; 3) knowledge and perception of a time-limited increased payment for VFC vaccine administration under the Affordable Care Act.
Methods:
An electronic and mail survey conducted June to September 2017.
Results:
Response rate was 79% (372/471); 86% of pediatricians reported currently participating in the VFC program; among those, 85% reported never having considered stopping, 10% considered it, but not seriously, and 5% seriously considered it. Among those who had considered no longer participating (n=47), the most commonly reported reasons included difficulty meeting VFC record-keeping requirements (74%), concern about action by the VFC program for non-compliance (61%), and unpredictable VFC vaccine supplies (59%). Participating pediatricians rated on a scale from −5 (high burden) to +5 (high benefit) their overall perception of the VFC program; 63% reported +4 or +5, 23% +1 to +3, 5% 0, and 9% −1 to −5. 39% of pediatricians reported awareness of temporary increased payment for VFC vaccine administration. Among those, 10% reported their practice increased the proportion of Medicaid and/or VFC-eligible patients served based on this change.
Conclusions:
For most pediatricians, perceived benefits of VFC program participation far outweigh perceived burdens. To ensure the program’s ongoing success, it will be important to monitor factors influencing provider participation.
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Pubmed ID:32086388
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC10206937
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