1. Confirming eligibility of patients

Since vaccines will be available on a phased basis, vaccine providers will need to confirm whether a resident qualifies under the current phase before administering the shot. The more you can screen residents’ eligibility ahead of time, the smoother logistics will be on-site.

Here are different strategies to consider

• General screening at scheduling, strict screening on-site:

  • General screening: When residents schedule appointments upfront, ask some general screening questions (are you a medical worker? yes/no). Rely on this to discourage non-qualified residents from signing up.

  • Strict screening: On-site, ask for document/photo proof that they fall under the current phase. This could create complications if residents don’t bring their proof and the requirement would need to be communicated in advance, during screening.

• Strict screening at time of scheduling:

  • Ask for proof of eligiblity: When residents schedule appointments ahead of time, ask for upload of proof of eligibility (e.g., medical badge for healthcare workers). Not all residents will be tech-savvy, so this may need to be optional.

  • Verify eligibility: Before vaccination appointments, someone on your team verifies the uploaded proof and confirms their eligibility.

• Employer-based screening: for determining eligibility based on employment (e.g., medical workers, front-line workers, essential workers):

  • Submit a list of employees: Ahead of time, ask employers to submit a list of eligible employees (with contact information), identified into phases. One complication is ensuring that employers accurately and reliably do this latter step.

  • Contact employees: Email eligible employees asking them to schedule a time. One benefit of this approach: since broad “who’s eligible when” public announcements may be confusing, this alternative approach enables you to notify people as they become eligible, instead of relying on residents to know when to sign up .

  • Screen based on employee list: In patients’ scheduling flow, mention that only people on the employee list will be accepted. You could also have a screener question asking who their employer is. Rely on this to discourage non-qualified residents from signing up.

  • Verify: Before patients’ appointments, someone on your team verifies that the resident is on the correct employee list.

  • Contact us: If this specific strategy sounds interesting to you and you’d like help rolling this out, please let us know. USDR has helped a government partner implement a version of this out.

Keep in mind

• You may also want to identify the number of residents who are eligible but opt out of vaccinations. The employer-based screening route gives you visibility into these metrics.