Five steps to improve flu vaccination rates

Influenza vaccine uptake in the U.S. has declined in recent years. After a high of 63.7% during the 2019-2020 flu season, the vaccination rate for children 18 and under has declined every year, hit 55.4% in 2023-2024 (the most recent season for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published data). The rate for adults has fallen from 50.2% during the 2020-2021 flu season to 44.9% in 2023-2024.

While some patients may be opposed to vaccination, others may be open to it if asked. Here are five steps to improve flu vaccination rates in your practice:

1. Find a champion — Designate a physician or other health professional who is familiar with vaccination guidelines and enthusiastic about improving vaccine rates to lead your office's efforts. This person can coordinate communication with staff, as well as oversee the logistics of vaccine purchasing, storage, administration, and billing.

2. Use standing orders — Physicians are busy, and protocols such as standing orders can empower other team members to assess patients' immunization status and administer vaccines. (See "Elements of a standing order for vaccines.")

3. Optimize your documentation — If a patient reports receiving a flu shot elswhere (e.g., pharmacy or workplace), make sure that's recorded in their chart. This not only helps with your practice's quality measures but also helps target vaccine outreach to patients who actually need it. Document patient refusal as well, but be mindful that some patients who refuse are persuadable and it may be worth following up at a later visit.

4. Provide regular reminders — Reminders to clinicians and staff to assess patients' vaccine status and recommend flu shots can come in many forms — practice-wide emails, announcements at staff meetings, and EHR alerts. Reminders to patients to get vaccinated can come through a patient portal or via text message.

5. Give ongoing feedback — As with any quality improvement project, it's vital to regularly evaluate how your flu vaccination rate efforts are proceeding. Consider weekly or monthly updates of your practice-wide vaccination rates. 

Read the full article in the FPM archives: "Back to Basics: Five Steps to Better Influenza Vaccination Rates." 

Posted on Aug. 7, 2025 by FPM Editors