An evaluation of the outreach performed on inadequately immunized Medicaid children enrolled in the CIRTS Project

This study evaluated the outreach for improving immunization rates of inadequately immunized Medicaid children enrolled in the Connecticut Immunization Registry and Tracking System (CIRTS). The CIRTS Project is the official State of Connecticut computerized immunization registry. The results of the study determined the relative success rates (how many children received overdue immunizations) of two outreach methods, that of Medicaid health plans and that of a health department, the Hartford Childhood Immunization Project (HCIP).Data were collected on outreach performed on children aged 6 months who were behind in their immunizations. The study approximated an experimental design comparing the "success" of the two outreach organizations by comparing immunization rates one month after follow-up.The study population consisted of 84 children, 40 subjects in the Medicaid group and 44 in the HCIP group. Within the Medicaid group, 26.5% were immunized as a result of outreach and in the HCIP group 16.7% were immunized. There was no difference in the immunization rate of subjects in the Medicaid organization compared to the HCIP organization.