As more Americans get COVID-19 shots, vaccine codes are a priority

As more Americans get COVID-19 shots, vaccine codes are a priority

Public health authorities continue to encourage vaccination. A report from The Washington Post found mixed results, with some states seeing increases in vaccination rates while others are remaining where they are. In addition, the the push for further vaccination shows how important understanding the various vaccine codes is.

Where Vaccination Rates are Rising and Falling

According to the dataset, as analyzed by Becker’s Hospital Review, the states with the fastest increases in administered vaccine doses are Illinois (13,624% growth), South Dakota (3,892% growth), and New Hampshire (126% growth). In the slowest-growing states, the rate of people getting vaccinated fell; these states include Georgia (down 25%), West Virginia (down 39%), and Kentucky (down 533%). Nationwide, an average of 1.28 million vaccine doses have been administered per day.

Besides COVID vaccine rate growth, another crucial statistic is the proportion of people who have been either fully or partially vaccinated. The Washington Post reports that as of November 22, 196.3 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated, while 2/3rds of people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the Mayo Clinic reports there are wide disparities by state regarding the percentage of the vaccinated population. This ranges from highs like Vermont (72.1%) and Rhode Island (71.7%), to lows like West Virginia (41.2%) and Wyoming (44.8%). Generally speaking, vaccination rates are highest in the New England region, and lowest in the Mountain West.

How Authorities are Encouraging Vaccination

Nationwide, public health authorities across the United States are taking action to encourage people to get vaccinated. At a federal level, President Joe Biden and OSHA issued an order for companies with 100 employees or more to require vaccination or weekly testing; however, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court recently put the order on hold, and its future is uncertain. At a state level, some of the incentives or requirements for vaccination include: A $100 bonus for Arkansas state employees who receive at least one dose; various sweepstakes and drawings for cash prizes in California; a free hunting license, fishing license, or state park pass for people in Maine who get their first dose; and drawings for one of 50 full-ride, four-year scholarships to any public college or university in the state of New York

The Importance of Vaccine Codes

Earlier this year, the AMA released the 2022 CPT code set, which included specific codes for vaccinations. Codes like these will surely be referenced more frequently as more people receive their shots. New codes include: vaccine code 91301 for the Moderna vaccine 1st through 3rd dose, code 91303 for the one-shot Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and code 91304 for the two doses of the Novavax vaccine.

Now more than ever, healthcare organizations need to fully understand coding procedures for COVID-19 vaccines. To find out more about coding for COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as other additions included in the 2022 CPT code updates, see our article on the subject here.

You can also go to this link to see YES HIM’s COVID-19 resource center.

Sources:

Becker’s Hospital Review, 2021
The Washington Post, 2021
Mayo Clinic, 2021
Reuters, 2021
National Governors Association
American Medical Association