As part of our shared commitment to public health and community safety, we were fortunate to meet with the CDC where they shared the latest insights and resources aligned with their current priorities. The CDC has recently emphasized its need to collaborate with electronic health records, and we're here to support these efforts to achieve our mutual goals.
One of these mutual goals is slowing and preventing the spread of respiratory infections. The CDC encourages us all to remind coworkers and staff about the importance of COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
- Check out respiratory illness activity in your community on the CDC’s Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel.
- The CDC recommends nirsevimab for all infants under 8 months or for infants 8-19 months with certain risk factors. It was proven to prevent 9 in 10 infant RSV hospitalizations last season.
- The CDC suggests sending a reminder to patients who haven't yet gotten vaccinated. They have reminder/recall messages available in English and Spanish to send via your patient portal. Or they suggest sending a text message such as: "Your vaccines are waiting for you. Getting vaccinated can cut your risk of getting really sick from flu, COVID-19, and RSV by half or more. Call XXX-XXX-XXXX/visit [website URL] to see if you're eligible and schedule an appointment.”
- And don't forget about mycoplasma. The CDC has noted recent increases in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in the United States after low levels of detected infections since 2019. When evaluating patients, including young children, they suggest considering M. pneumoniae and treating accordingly.
We hope this reminder information is helpful in spreading the word and seeing results!