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The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has led to an increase in the number of homebound older adults at heightened risk for infection with COVID-19.1 In addition, the COVID-19 PHE has disproportionately affected individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, racial and ethnic minority groups, and individuals with disability.2 To better support dually eligible individualswho are homebound at greater risk of COVID-19 infection, health plans and providers must understand the needs of various subgroups of dually eligible individuals, improve methods and processes to identify homebound members, and adopt creative vaccine strategies outside of traditional care settings.
This resource focuses on four strategies that Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) used to increase vaccinations for individuals who are homebound, including improved member identification, enhanced targeted outreach, use of strategic partnerships, and creative data sharing and collection. Throughout this document you will find a variety of challenges, innovations, and successes identified for each strategy. The intent of this resource is to identify and share promising practices for vaccinating individuals who are homebound amongst plans and providers serving dually eligible individuals.
This product is intended for a wide range of stakeholders, including health plan administrators, clinical leadership, care coordinators, and case managers at health plans (including Medicare-Medicaid Plans, Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans, and managed Long-Term Services and Supports plans), as well as providers and other health care and community-based organizations who are interested in strategies related to the communication and delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations during the public health emergency.
1 Ankuda, C. K., Leff, B., Ritchie, C. S., Siu, A. L., & Ornstein, K. A. (2021). Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic with the Prevalence of Homebound Older Adults in the United States, 2011–2020. JAMA Internal Medicine. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2783103.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). COVID-19: People with Disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/humandevelopment/covid-19/people-with-disabilities.html