Influenza vaccination rates and location for receiving the influenza vaccination among older adult Medicare beneficiaries

Abstract Background Older adult influenza vaccination rates are continually below the 90% target set by the Healthy People 2020. Trends in the vaccination rates estimates varied between data sources. Little is known about the trend in the proportion of older adult vaccinated at retail pharmacies. Objectives Objectives of this study are to assess trends in (1) older adult influenza vaccination rates, (2) locations at which US older adults received influenza vaccinations for 2008-09 to 2017-18 flu seasons, and (3) compare estimates of influenza vaccination rates and locations to estimates from other sources reported previously. Methods Data from the 2009 to 2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) were used in this analysis. The weighted sample included an average of approximately 37 million community-dwelling older Medicare beneficiaries who completed questionnaires per year. Estimates for older adult influenza vaccination rates and locations they used to receive the influenza vaccination were weighted and reported for the 2008-09 to 2017-18 flu seasons. Results The self-reported older adult influenza vaccination rate between 2008-09 and 2017-18 ranged from 69.6% (24.6 million) to 75.0% (31.3 million). Across the study period, the percent of older adults receiving the influenza vaccination in a physician office/clinic declined by 10.4%. The decline was more than offset by an increase in older adult influenza vaccination receipt in a retail pharmacy, which substantially increased from 16.6% (4.1 million) in 2008-09 to 34.8% (10.9 million) in 2014-15. When compared with estimates from other sources, the absolute value of the MCBS estimates corresponds with NHIS estimates. The older adult influenza vaccination rate increased slightly between the 2008-09 and 2017-18 flu seasons but is still below the 90% benchmark. Conclusion Retail pharmacies, as increasingly important access points for the influenza vaccination for older adults, likely contributed to the growth in older adults vaccinated with influenza vaccines.