The leaders of the Charlotte-based Premier Inc. on Jan. 13 called on the President-elect Joe Biden and the incoming Biden administration to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations among the American public. In a statement posted to its website, the health alliance stated that, “As a national convener of hospital and non-acute vaccination sites across the nation, the Premier healthcare alliance recognized early on that a mass vaccination effort would be the biggest logistical challenge of the pandemic. Now a month in, it’s clear that despite tireless efforts on the part of our frontline caregivers, swift intervention from the federal government is needed to speed the administration of vaccines in order to reduce the national infection rate, save lives and alleviate the systemic strain new cases and viral mutations place on the healthcare system.”
Further, Premier stated, “Working with our provider members to understand the evolving on-the-ground realities, Premier has identified five systemic issues limiting the vaccine rollout that need immediate remediation. Premier is recommending a series of actions that the incoming Biden Administration can immediately take to overcome these obstacles and streamline and expedite the vaccination process throughout the country.”
In Premier’s letter addressed to President-elect Biden and to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and sent under the signatures of Premier CEO Susan DeVore and president Michael J. Alkire, the alliance’s leaders noted that “Many of Premier’s network hospitals and non-acute facilities have been selected by their states as vaccination hubs and are actively working on the front lines to ensure priority populations receive the vaccination safely and equitably. Premier assists these sites by ensuring they have access to the supplies and staffing they need to carry out the mass vaccination campaign. In addition, Premier helps collate and share best practices amongst these sites to help maximize vaccination efforts. Despite tireless efforts on the part of our frontline caregivers,” the alliance’s leaders wrote, “Premier and our members believe that vaccinations must be administered much more quickly in order to reduce the national infection rate and alleviate the systemic strain new cases and viral mutations place on the healthcare system. Swift intervention from the Federal government is needed. While some delays can be attributed to holiday schedules and the newness of the vaccination process, other issues are indicative of challenges in the current system that must be addressed lest they become catastrophic limitations later.”
Premier’s leaders expressed their concerns around timeframes. “Despite tireless efforts on the part of our frontline caregivers, Premier and our members believe that vaccinations must be administered much more quickly in order to reduce the national infection rate and alleviate the systemic strain new cases and viral mutations place on the healthcare system. Swift intervention from the Federal government is needed. While some delays can be attributed to holiday schedules and the newness of the vaccination process, other issues are indicative of challenges in the current system that must be addressed lest they become catastrophic limitations later.”
Premier’s leaders noted five key areas of concern:
>“Vaccine hesitancy”: It appears that 30-50 percent of healthcare workers eligible to receive the vaccine have not been vaccinated, while some hospitals are seeing as much as 80 percent of their staff hesitant to be vaccinated.
> Clinical staffing limitations: It turns out that “Clinical staff qualified to administer vaccines are extremely scarce and on the verge of burnout,” with 53 percent of respondents to a Premier member organization survey in November citing lack of clinical staff as their top challenge in their COVID-19 response efforts.
> Distribution challenges: The Operation Warp Speed distribution process is “decentralized, with limited end-to-end visibility,” the letter noted. “As a result, providers report an uneven process, with some sites getting clear, advance notice of shipments quantities and arrival schedules, while vaccines and supply kits show up at other locations almost by surprise.”
> Supply shortages: Some key supply shortages have become apparent, including shortages of the needles and syringes needed to administer “labeled dose counts only.” What’s more, the letter noted, “Premier data shows that gloves have been backordered for months with members citing gloves as their second major supply chai challenge even after implementing conservation protocols as recommended by Premier.”
