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Immunization of Young Children Enrolled in Iowa
Medicaid
Andi Dykstra, RN, CPHQ, Director, Medicaid Quality
Improvement
R. Todd Wiblin, MD, MS, Iowa Foundation for Medical Care
Summer 2004
The Iowa
Department of Human Services contracts with the Iowa Foundation for
Medical Care to conduct an annual quality review of immunization rates
for children participating in Medicaid. The study examines a sample of
children, 2 years of age, from each of the Medicaid payer sources. Below
are the immunization rates for the past 5 years:
|
Immunization rates for Iowa children participating in Medicaid,
1998-2002 |
|
YEAR |
DTaP Diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis
|
IPV Inactivated
polio vaccine
|
MMR Measles,
mumps, rubella
|
Hib Haemophilus
influenzae type B
|
HBV Hepatitis
B
|
Var Varicella
|
All six
vaccines |
|
1998 |
67.2% |
82.3% |
84.2% |
84.4% |
80.4% |
36.4% |
NA
|
|
1999 |
74.0% |
86.2% |
88.1% |
89.1% |
87.0% |
48.3% |
39.7%
|
|
2000 |
73.1% |
85.5% |
86.3% |
90.0% |
89.4% |
57.3% |
45.1%
|
|
2001 |
77.3% |
85.3% |
89.1% |
89.7% |
86.8% |
67.0% |
54.0%
|
|
2002 |
76.6% |
86.6% |
90.1% |
86.6% |
85.7% |
71.5% |
56.6%
|
|
increase
since'98 |
9.4% |
4.3% |
5.9% |
2.2% |
5.3% |
35.1% |
16.9%
|
|
Percent of unvaccinated children who participated
in Iowa Medicaid programs in 2002
|
|
2002 |
DTaP |
IPV |
MMR |
Hib |
HBV |
Var |
|
25%
|
13%
|
10%
|
13%
|
14%
|
28%
|
Observations
-
Childhood immunization is one of the most
cost-effective public health programs, even though the immunization
schedule is complex, with 16 to 20 doses recommended by age 18 months.
-
Data demonstrate it takes several years after
adding a vaccine to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) schedule for it to become widely used.
-
Although Iowa has seen an aggregate improvement in
the Iowa Medicaid program in the proportion of children receiving all
immunizations in the last 5 years, there is room for improvement.
Recommendations for health care providers
If you have
questions about the annual immunization report, please contact Andi
Dykstra or R. Todd Wiblin, Iowa Foundation for Medical Care,
800-383-2856.
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