Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization Ranked #1 in Administering COVID-19 Vaccines Among MassHealth Members
BOSTON – The Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization (BIDCO), one of the Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) Performance Network Medicaid (MassHealth) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), has achieved the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate among MassHealth members.
Created in 2019, Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network is a clinically integrated network of physicians, clinicians, and hospitals aiming to providing high-quality, cost-effective care to the patients and communities they serve. The organization supports and improves access, quality, and efficiency of patient-centered health care with a foundation of equity, inclusion, compassion, and respect.
According to initial data from MassHealth, BIDCO was the state's top performer among ACO and Managed Care Organization (MCO) programs in administering COVID-19 vaccines for members ages 18-64 residing in the 20 towns and cities identified as being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Those cities and towns include Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield and Worcester. These measurements are not adjusted for risk, including member mix and geography. Additionally, this reporting is a snapshot in time, and relative ranking may change over time, however, BIDCO has been a consistent leader in administering vaccinations.
BIDCO's leading MassHealth vaccination rate reflects BILH's ongoing efforts to address inequality in vaccination rates in communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including communities of color. The BILH Performance Network mined data and to identify patients in areas hardest hit by COVID-19, aiding in the coordination and deployment of resources throughout the BILH system. These efforts set a strong foundation for BILH and its Primary Care team to prioritize vaccination efforts in hard-hit communities.
"Thanks to the immense efforts and tireless work of many individuals, we were able to identify and target specific areas where resources were lacking enabling us to support these communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," said Deborah Devaux, executive vice president and chief population officer of BILH, and president of the BILH Performance Network. "From staff that set up clinics, pharmacy staff that prepared doses, physicians and clinicians that administered those doses, counseled patients and helped to bring life-saving vaccination to those who were hardest hit by this pandemic — the dedication of this crucial effort was extraordinary."
As part of this critical endeavor, the BILH team took several steps to address vaccine inequity, first by establishing vaccination clinics in two of the state's hard-hit communities. Other crucial actions included prioritizing and scheduling invitations to patients who get their care at our community health centers and in 11 communities hardest hit by COVID; conducting personalized phone outreach to patients in these communities, including partnering with local community leaders, helping patients schedule vaccines when they come in for regular appointments, and conducting patient outreach and information in multiple languages.
"The BILH Performance Network, BILH Primary Care, and many others were instrumental in attaining a goal of this magnitude," said Juan Fernando Lopera, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of BILH. "This achievement highlights the very reason we have come together as a system: to place equity and inclusion at the forefront of every decision we make and to prioritize resources to address the needs of the diverse communities we serve."
About Beth Israel Lahey Health
Beth Israel Lahey Health is a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
