The first national adult immunization summit 2012: Implementing change through action

To address lagging vaccine coverage among adults in the United States, over 150 organizations representing a wide range of immunization partners convened in Atlanta, GA from May 15-16, 2012 for the inaugural National Adult Immunization Summit. The meeting called for solution-oriented discussion toward improving current immunization levels, implementing the 2011 National Vaccine Advisory Committee adult immunization recommendations, and capitalizing on new opportunities to improve coverage. Provisions in the federal health reform law that increase access to preventive services, including immunizations, and the increasing numbers of complementary vaccine providers such as pharmacists, create new opportunities to increase access for immunization services and improve coverage for adults. The Summit organized around five focal areas: empowering providers, quality and performance measures, increasing access and collaboration, educating patients, and informing decision-makers. These focal areas formed the basis of working groups, charged to coordinate efforts by the participating organizations to address gaps in the current immunization system. Summit participants identified priority themes to address as tasks during the coming year, including better communicating the value of immunizations to increase demand for immunizations, creating a central repository of resources for providers, patients, and others interested in improving adult immunization levels, examining performance and quality measures and evaluating means to use such measures to motivate vaccine providers, increasing engagement with employer and employee groups to increase awareness and demand for vaccinations, improving the use of immunization information systems and electronic health reports, decreasing barriers to all vaccine providers including pharmacists and community vaccinators, decreasing the complexity of the adult vaccine schedule where possible, engaging adult immunization champions and leaders in key sectors, including adult healthcare provider groups, and encouraging more integration of immunization services with other preventive services.