As the mass vaccination effort continues to ramp up across the country, Medicare and Medicaid payers and accountable care organizations are looking for ways to ensure their members get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. Many Medicare members fall into vulnerable populations due to age, while Medicaid members can be more susceptible to comorbidities, and more making it essential that both populations get vaccinated quickly. Member populations may also require a greater level of education around vaccination due to hesitancy of the vaccine or because they may encounter logistical obstacles as they schedule and travel to their appointments.
The equity of the vaccine roll-out has been emphasized since the first vaccine candidates were approved. For Medicaid and Medicare members, there are often significant obstacles to overcome to ensure they get vaccinated in a timely manner. Some of the most common challenges include:
Incentives have been proven to drive desired behavior across many facets of society. Psychologists use incentives as part of motivational theory. In a study by the Society of Incentive and Travel Executive, employee incentives have been proven to drive performance up by 27%. So when it comes to vaccines, providing gift card incentives for Medicaid and Medicare members in order to complete their vaccine appointments seems like a natural fit to encourage vaccinations.
As more vaccine appointments take place at local pharmacies, like CVS® locations, providing CVS® gift cards to members to use after their appointment is a great way to make the whole experience positive. Members are used to seeing incentives similar to this when they come into CVS® stores for other vaccines, like flu shots, so it provides continuity along with the comfort of familiar surroundings.
Beyond the experience, CVS® gift cards paired with the vaccine doses can also encourage members to stock up on healthy items while they are already in the store. For members with transportation limitations, this can be particularly valuable, effective, and supportive of keeping members healthy in the long term.
As the mass vaccination campaign continues to ramp up across the country, Medicaid and Medicare payers and accountable care organizations need to take a vested interest in getting their members vaccinated as quickly as possible. Local pharmacies like CVS® who are fulfilling vaccine appointments create a unique opportunity for healthcare organizations to use CVS® gift card incentives to make the vaccination process easier and more rewarding for members and program administrators alike.
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