Michael Hodin Joins Former U.S. Surgeon General and Other Experts as Co-Author of Adult Vaccines Access Coalition Report

NEW YORK (August 1, 2016) – In a new white paper, The Value and Imperative of Quality Measures for Adult Vaccines, renowned experts across health, aging and immunization, including Michael Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging, explain how vaccine quality measures can prevent illness and death, reduce caregiving demands, save unnecessary healthcare spending, and set the foundation for healthy aging. The paper urges that adult vaccination quality measures should be included in the implementation of two national measure developments underway in the United States: the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and the Core Quality Measures Collaborative.

Every year, more than 40,000 U.S. adults are hospitalized or die due to vaccine-preventable diseases. In addition, vaccine-preventable diseases cost the U.S. billions each year. Nevertheless, adult vaccination rates remain far below national targets. Improving rates of adult vaccination is a national imperative. Higher vaccination rates among adults reduce clinic visits, the rate of hospitalizations, and the incidence of long-term disability. Higher vaccination rates also save money by preventing lost productivity from employee sick days.

Hodin’s co-authors include James Appleby, RPH, MPH, Executive Director and CEO, The Gerontological Society of America; David Satcher, MD, PhD, Former Surgeon General of the United States; William Schaffner, MD, Medical Director, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, Professor of Preventive Medicine, Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; and LJ Tan, PhD, Chief Strategy Officer, Immunization Action Coalition.  Eleanor Perfetto, PhD, Professor of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, also contributed to the report.

“Older adults have a great deal to contribute to society and the economy, but they can only do so if they are able to remain healthy and active,” said Hodin. “With 78 million of us reaching the age of 65, we must increase awareness and uptake of vaccines for older adults. Adult vaccines are becoming an increasingly important and cost-effective means to safeguard the health, wellbeing, and productivity of this fast-growing segment of the U.S. population and the communities in which they live.”