Luma Health, a patient-engagement-platform vendor, has debuted a new set of solutions to enable rapid end-to-end vaccine delivery and operations.

WHAT HAPPENED

The Luma Health COVID-19 Vaccine Operations Solution is designed to enable healthcare organizations to rapidly operationalize and execute COVID-19 vaccine education, deployment and administration strategies into a single, integrated patient journey.

WHY IT MATTERS

Vaccinating patients against COVID-19 requires a much greater level of logistical preparation than mainstream vaccines like measles. Healthcare providers must actively plan for CDC reporting requirements, shipment coordination, staff training, and vaccine storage, and must keep up with the ever-changing directives from the local government, even before the vaccine reaches the doorstep.

"Vaccine adoption and adherence is our strongest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. Yet, the coordination and communication of vaccination eligibility, access and scheduling is a gargantuan task."

Aditya Bansod, Luma Health

Healthcare providers also need to engage effectively with patients. They need to educate about vaccine safety, schedule vaccine appointments and communicate the importance of adhering to a second dose.

The end-to-end patient-engagement platform streamlines COVID-19 vaccine operations and enhances patient experience through the following features:

• Patient education. Luma Health's Broadcast Messaging solution helps providers proactively inform patients on vaccine availability, eligibility and administration timelines. It helps them address vaccine apprehensions while reducing inbound calls.

• Screening and consent. The Mobile Patient Intake solution automates patient eligibility verification using customized self-screening surveys. Once verified, intake forms capture patient consent and then collect necessary PHI to kick-start the patient's vaccination journey.

• Scheduling. The Patient Scheduling+ solution offers patients the convenience of online self-scheduling based on the provider's unique workflows. The Smart Waitlist tool offers available appointment slots in real time when other patients cancel or reschedule.

• Appointment reminders. Luma Health's automated multilingual and HIPAA-compliant Interactive Appointment Reminders help reduce no-show rates and phone volumes, manage cancellations, and ensure patients are prepared for the appointment with AI-powered conversational workflows.

• Check-in and vaccination. The Zero Contact Check-in and Waiting Room solutions enable patient to self-check-in and move them through the virtual waiting room with automated text instructions. The Mobile Patient Intake tools can help capture a patient's insurance information and driver's license in advance to minimize physical exchange during appointments.

• Post-appointment follow-up. The Patient Screening Forms prompt vaccine recipients to assess and track their wellness following their appointment and guide those experiencing adverse events to seek appropriate medical attention, while they comply with pharmaco-vigilance requirements.

• Next-dose reminder. The Reminders and Patient Communication solutions ensure patients schedule and show up to their booster-dose appointments.

THE LARGER TREND

The U.S. is continuing to ramp-up its COVID-19 vaccine delivery efforts. It's priority No. 1 for the new Biden Administration. Many health IT companies are doing their part to help speed things.

Khaled Naim, CEO and cofounder of Onfleet, a vendor of last-mile delivery management software, recently offered some frank advice healthcare organizations should consider when distributing the vaccine.

"With entire communities needing vaccinations faster than healthcare providers can manage, vaccine operations need to be streamlined and enhanced, while reducing burden on call centers and providers."

Farooq Ajmal, Ryan Health

In a recent Healthcare IT News article he went into detail on: more vaccine locations, preparing existing locations for vaccine delivery, ensuring that vaccine IDs can be accessed and integrating with a larger network.

ON THE RECORD

"Vaccine adoption and adherence is our strongest weapon in the fight against COVID-19. Yet the coordination and communication of vaccination eligibility, access and scheduling is a gargantuan task," said Aditya Bansod, cofounder and CTO at Luma Health. "We are helping healthcare organizations succeed in the crucial role of engaging patients quickly, at scale, and encouraging compliance throughout the vaccination process."

"With entire communities needing vaccinations faster than healthcare providers can manage, vaccine operations need to be streamlined and enhanced, while reducing [the] burden on call centers and providers," said Farooq Ajmal, CIO at Ryan Health.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bsiwicki@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.