Several physician organizations in Pennsylvania are urging the state's health department to rescind a recent decision that cut primary care providers from the list of those allowed to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Feb. 13.
While about 1,700 providers in Pennsylvania have expressed interest in assisting with the COVID-19 vaccination effort, the health department said it would narrow the state's vaccine provider network to between 200 and 300 providers. Moving forward, permitted vaccine providers include hospitals, federally qualified health centers, county health departments and pharmacies, Alison Beam, acting secretary of health, said during a Feb. 12 news conference, the Inquirer reports.
"This is a time when we need all hands on deck so we can get the majority of people vaccinated as quickly as we can," Tracey Conti, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians said in response, according to the Inquirer. "If you want to make sure the vaccine gets to a broader scope of people, why would you limit who is distributing it?"
The organization, along with the state's chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians, released a joint statement Feb. 16, urging the health department to reverse its decision to exclude primary care providers from distributing COVID-19 vaccines.
"Physicians, nurses, and physician assistants who provide care in private practice settings are trusted by their patients," the organizations wrote. "This is especially noteworthy when considering those patients who may otherwise be reluctant to get the vaccine."
Given the limited supply of vaccines, Ms. Beam said the state is currently prioritizing providers who can reach the most people.
"We must concentrate the vaccine among the providers who can move first doses as quickly as possible to protect Pennsylvanians," she said in a statement to the Inquirer, adding that once short term vaccination goals are reached, primary care physicians, among other providers, will be allowed to administer vaccine to their patients.