In 2016, Hancock Physician’s Network (HPN) set out to improve their vaccine program through the implementation of temperature monitoring and medical-grade refrigeration. The goal was to standardize and optimize the vaccine program across the entire network.The Network is multi-disciplinary and includes family, pediatric, internal medicine and immediate care practices, all which store and administer 3-20 different types of vaccines. The family practice locations alone are storing 20 different vaccines on average with at least 10-20 doses of each. Two of the family practices as well as the pediatric location, are Vaccines for Children (VFC) providers.
From 2014 to 2016, prior to installing Helmer refrigerators and freezers, three of the HPN Family Medicine practices experienced temperature excursions in excess of $37,000.
In January 2018, the Pediatric practice and one Family Medicine practice, that share the same building, experienced a power outage. Through the temperature alarm system, managers were notified and vaccine was moved to the hospital in a timely manner, therefore preventing a major loss. Total loss for this event was estimated under $500.00, a major improvement prior to enhancing the vaccine program’s processes and procedures.
All of that said, proper temperature monitoring and medical-grade refrigeration is an essential part of providing high quality care. In this webinar we will talk about the process HPN went through to transition, standardize, and enhance their vaccine program including:
- Approach to transforming the way vaccine is stored and monitored
- The power of temperature monitoring data
- Why the need for medical-grade cold storage
- Implementing new processes & procedures
HPN has officially installed wireless temperature monitoring on all their cold storage equipment, and replaced all non-medical-grade refrigerators with Helmer Scientific refrigerators which are designed specifically for vaccine storage.
In addition, they have trained and rolled out new processes and procedures to staff across all locations. Through proper storage, handling, monitoring, and medical-grade refrigeration, HPN ensures safe vaccine storage that every patient deserves.
This webinar will present real life challenges and opportunities HPN was able to overcome and capitalize on to meet VFC requirements and provide patients with the highest quality of care through standardization and process improvement.
