SCAN Health Plan Successfully Reduces Vaccine Disparities Among Black, Latinx and Low-Income Members

‘We built trust through targeted outreach’

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, announced the results of its ongoing COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Through unique collaborations, culturally relevant outreach, family caregiver support and a staunch focus on building trust, SCAN successfully reduced troubling vaccination inequities among its member population.

Key Data:

• Since February 2021, the vaccination gap between Black and white SCAN members was reduced from 17% to 6%.
• Since February 2021, the vaccination gap between Latinx and white SCAN members was reduced from 11% to 4%
• Since February 2021, the vaccination gap between low income and other members was reduced from 15% to 8%.
• Since February 2021, the vaccination gap between members who live in zip codes highest within the community need index (4-5) was reduced from 16% to 8%.

All numbers are accurate as of July 31, 2021.

“SCAN is committed to eliminating the troubling disparities in the health care system that disproportionately impact specific populations,” said Sharon Jhawar, SCAN Health Plan’s chief pharmacy officer. “The numbers indicate that through our efforts, we have been able to break with historic patterns and mitigate some of the pandemic’s devastating impact on underserved populations in order to achieve broad population immunity.”

SCAN’s success at promoting equitable COVID vaccine distribution was driven by five key actions:

1. SCAN built trust through culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach. Staff members called Spanish speaking and Black members to discuss vaccinations on their terms. These calls were in addition to the 160,000 calls made to SCAN members during the pandemic to check on members’ preventative and other health care needs.
2. SCAN surveyed Black and Spanish speaking caregivers and members to learn more about their views on vaccines. The responses were used to understand their viewpoints and create informed responses.
3. SCAN launched an in-home vaccination program for homebound members. While most public health officials were focused on getting people out to vaccine megasites, SCAN, in partnership with MedArrive, dispatched paramedics to members’ homes to administer COVID-19 vaccines to members, their family members and their caregivers.
4. SCAN launched a dedicated COVID Vaccine Line. Dedicated staff fielded calls, helped members register for vaccines and answered questions about the vaccines.
5. SCAN created a COVID-19 dashboard to track vaccine doses among its members. The information was used to inform targeted outreach to members and shared with providers to help them coordinate vaccinations for older adults under their care.

“When you look at these initiatives and take them as a whole, it’s clear that SCAN was successful in reducing disparities because we built trust within our focused outreach,” said Dr. Romilla Batra, chief medical officer at SCAN Health Plan.

About SCAN Health Plan

SCAN Health Plan is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, serving more than 220,000 members in California. Since its founding in 1977, SCAN has been a mission-driven organization dedicated to keeping seniors healthy and independent. Independence at Home, a SCAN community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers regardless of plan membership. SCAN also offers education programs, community funding, volunteer opportunities and other community services throughout our California service area. To learn more, visit scanhealthplan.com or follow us on Twitter @scanhealthplan.