Seasonal influenza activity continues to decline across the country, but CDC continues to recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as flu activity continues. An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu and vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu. Visit CDC’s Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report for weekly updates.   

APPLY NOW Opportunity to receive free coaching to Increase Adult Influenza Immunization Rates. 

ACP is recruiting internal medicine and subspecialty practices and residency programs to participate in the I Raise the Rates quality improvement programs to increase influenza and adult immunization rates. ACP’s I Raise the Rates program, which is supported by funding from CDC, provides free QI education and virtual coaching support from ACP Advance expert coaches to increase adult immunization coverage. The program also offers access to a virtual learning community, tailored educational offerings, including free registration to QI Pecourse at the 2023 ACP Internal Medicine meeting in San Diego, CA, as well as the opportunity to earn CME and MOC for program participants.  

The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please click the button below to access the recruitment flyer for more information about participation benefits and requirements, as well as the application link. 

Effective January 1, 2023, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) eliminated out-of-pocket costs for all adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. 

Vaccines are a cost-effective preventative public health strategy that protects and preserves the health of not only individuals but communities as well. The implementation of the IRA is a key strategy in closing the gap in vaccination coverage among Medicare population. The vaccine provisions included in this act demonstrates the country’s priority in controlling and preventing vaccine-preventable diseases and more specifically, improving vaccination access, utilization, and coverage for adult populations. NACCHO welcomes and embraces the passage of this vital act and will continue to support and advocate for local health departments in reducing inequities in vaccination access and enhancing opportunities for all. 

Similarly, beginning October 1, 2023, adults who are enrollees of traditional Medicaid, CHIP (19 years of age and older), and those considered Medicaid medically needy in specified states, will have access to ACIP recommended adult vaccines with no out-of-pocket expenses. 

Transparency and vaccine safety are top priorities for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). U.S. government agencies use multiple, complementary safety monitoring systems to help detect possible safety signals for vaccines and other medical countermeasures as early as possible and to facilitate further investigation, as appropriate. Often these safety systems detect signals that could be due to factors other than the vaccine itself.

AMA Update covers a range of health care topics affecting the lives of physicians, residents, medical students and patients. From private practice and health system leaders to scientists and public health officials, hear from the experts in medicine on COVID-19, monkeypox, medical education, advocacy issues, burnout, vaccines and more.

While many people assumed that getting infected meant higher protection from future encounters with the virus, the latest wave of COVID-19 cases shows that reinfections are becoming more common with newer variants—such as the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron—contributing to second or even third infections. And as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve and behave more like its closely related cousins that cause common colds and infect people repeatedly throughout their lives, physicians are urging patients not to let their guards down.

The AMA’s What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series provides physicians with a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today’s health care headlines, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.