2021 National Influenza Vaccination Week
Published on
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Did You Know?
Between 2010 and 2020, the CDC estimates (link) that flu has resulted in
- Nine million – forty-one million illnesses,
- 140,000 – 710,000 hospitalizations, and
- 12,000 – 52,000 deaths annually.
Why This Matters?
According to the CDC, “flu activity often starts to increase in October, most commonly peaks in February and can last into May.” The best way to prevent the spread of flu and widespread flu illnesses is for people to get a flu vaccine.
What Can You Do?
If you are a healthcare provider, CMS has put together a Flu Shot Toolkit (link) which includes information about payment for the 2021-2022 season, frequency and coverage, billing, coding, and additional resources.
The CDC recommends annual flu shots for everyone 6 months or older by the end of October or as soon as possible each flu season. As a healthcare consumer, if you have not already received your flu shot, there is still time to get one.
Article Author: Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS
Beth Cobb, RN, BSN, ACM, CCDS, is the Manager of Clinical Analytics at Medical Management Plus, Inc. Beth has over twenty-five years of experience in healthcare including eleven years in Case Management at a large multi-facility health system. In her current position, Beth is a principle writer for MMP’s Wednesday@One weekly e-newsletter, an active member of our HIPAA Compliance Committee, MMP’s Education Department Program Director and co-developer of MMP’s proprietary Compliance Protection Assessment Tool.
