The Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians (LAFP) endorses the concept that all children and adults, regardless of economic and insurance status, should have access to all immunizations recommended by the AAFP.
The LAFP strongly recommends that patients receive all immunizations recommended by the AAFP in their medical home and when recommended vaccines are provided outside of the medical home, all pertinent vaccine related information should be provided to the patient's medical home.
Adopted 8/7/2015 by the General Assembly
Background Information
Policy of the AAFP
Access
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) endorses the concept that all children and adults, regardless of economic and insurance status, should have access to all immunizations recommended by the AAFP.
Cost of
The AAFP believes that the vaccine manufacturers and distributors should have payment policies that minimize the physicians' financial risk involved in maintaining a vaccine inventory.
Government programs (e.g., Vaccines for Children (VFC), 317 Immunization Grants, or state "universal purchasing") that subsidize the costs of vaccines at no cost to medical practices should be adequately funded by the federal and state government.
Requiring clinicians to stock separate supplies of vaccines for the VFC Program and for persons covered by other payers can be burdensome and adds unnecessary administrative costs to practices. Therefore, AAFP recommends that states allow physicians to intermingle storage of VFC and other vaccine supplies, with appropriate documentation and cost accounting.
Coverage of
The AAFP believes that all public and private insurers should include as a covered benefit immunizations recommended by the AAFP without co-payments or deductibles.
Distribution
The AAFP believes that the ultimate goal is to have vaccine manufacturers and distributors deliver adequate, timely, and complete orders of immunizations recommended by the AAFP to family physicians in a prioritized manner to most effectively achieve vaccination of patients within their medical home.
Medical Home
AAFP strongly recommends that patients receive all immunizations recommended by the AAFP in their medical home. When recommended vaccines are provided outside of the medical home all pertinent vaccine related information should be provided to the patient's medical home.
Payment of
Where medical practices incur a cost for vaccines, the AAFP calls for adequate payment for the vaccine itself and all associated overhead costs (i.e., acquisition, storage, inventory, insurance, spoilage/wastage, etc.) of all immunizations recommended by the AAFP and their administration with no patient cost-sharing, as well as covering an evaluation and management (E/M) service during the same visit, when a significant and separately identifiable E/M service is provided and documented.
Supply
The AAFP believes that vaccine manufacturers should develop contingency plans for the timing and prioritization of vaccine supplies if an ample supply of the immunizations recommended by the AAFP is delayed and/or reduced.
(2008) (2013 COD)
