August 19, 2025 – Jacksonville, FL
Vaccinated individuals hospitalized with flu are 31% less likely to die, according to the CDC. This serves as a powerful reminder that prevention saves lives and protects recovery, especially this August during National Immunization Awareness Month. For Medicare beneficiaries, the number is stark, with over 70% of flu-related hospitalizations, underscoring the value of vaccinations.
For example, a flu shot can mean the difference between a stable winter and a month-long hospitalization. A shingles vaccine can prevent a painful condition that disrupts quality of life for years. Yet for many high-risk seniors, these preventive measures go unnoticed or happen too late.
Why? Because the system still tends to react to illness instead of staying ahead of it.
Consider the experience of many older adults with multiple chronic conditions. They see their primary care provider a few times a year, but between visits, daily life takes over. Preventive reminders (like those for flu or pneumonia shots) get missed, and patients may not fully understand the heightened risk their conditions create.
When a simple cold progresses to pneumonia, the outcome can be weeks of recovery, significant healthcare costs, and a setback in overall health.
This is far from uncommon. According to CDC data, adults over 65 account for 85% of seasonal flu-related deaths. The link between immunization, chronic disease management, and hospitalization rates is undeniable, but without proactive follow-up, these gaps persist.
Chronic Care Management (CCM), Advanced Primary Care Management (APCM), and Principal Care Management (PCM) programs bridge the gap between the doctor’s office and a patient’s everyday life.
In the context of preventive care, immunizations included, these programs:
Instead of hoping patients remember a vaccine months after it’s recommended, care managers integrate reminders and follow-up into regular chronic care touchpoints.
National Immunization Awareness Month spotlights an important concept, but in reality, the work is year-round. The Medicare population, especially those managing multiple conditions (about 79% of older adults), benefits most when immunization is embedded in a broader proactive care strategy.
The data supports it. Closing preventive care gaps lowers avoidable hospitalizations, improves quality scores, and increases patient satisfaction. For providers, these gains are further reinforced through performance-based reimbursement under value-based care models.
For healthcare organizations, the question isn’t whether to encourage vaccines, but how to make them a natural part of chronic disease management. When CCM, APCM, and PCM programs work in concert with in-clinic care, the result is a more resilient patient population and a system better equipped to prevent crises before they happen.
Prevention doesn’t start in August and it doesn’t end with a single shot. It’s a continuous commitment to anticipating needs, reducing risks, and keeping patients healthier, longer.
At Wellbox, we help providers operationalize that commitment by closing gaps, improving outcomes, and making proactive care possible at scale.
Share to© 2024 Wellbox Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy | Terms of Use