Case Study: Home Program
COVID-19 Vaccination at Home Program with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
As the first integrated plan in Massachusetts to offer COVID-19 vaccines to patients at home, this CCA program has been favorably compared with similar pilot programs in Washington State, New York, and California. It also ensured that CCA had a seat at the table for national discussions around reaching at-risk populations with these much-needed vaccinations. In March of 2021, CCA was invited to join AHIP in briefing the White House and bringing attention to COVID-19 vaccine delivery efforts and best practices for delivering care to homebound individuals.
The success of CCA’s program in vaccinating its own members was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. On March 26, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind program of partnership with CCA to obtain and administer COVID-19 vaccines to homebound people throughout the state—regardless of their health plan.
About 25,000 people in Massachusetts are considered homebound—which the state defines as needing the assistance of two or more people to leave home. Without this program, it was nearly impossible for this high-risk population to access life-saving protection against the coronavirus.
The Massachusetts COVID Command Center tasked CCA with directing all the central operations of the homebound vaccination effort. We provided not only technological infrastructure and delivery logistics but also patient outreach and vaccine appointment scheduling. The state’s 2-1-1 hotline screened callers and transferred them to CCA for appointment scheduling.
Seven months after its launch, the program was turned over to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, having achieved extraordinary results:
- 5,400 vaccinations administered across 12 of the 14 counties in Massachusetts including nearly 500 family members of home bound individuals.
- 320 individual cities and towns served by the program
- 130+ clinicians performed vaccinations
The program was a labor of love for CCA. “CCA is honored to lead this critical mission of vaccinating homebound citizens of Massachusetts,” said CEO Chris Palmieri in the press release that kicked off the program. “Since our inception, CCA’s approach to care has been rooted in the community to ensure the most appropriate site of care for the individuals we so proudly serve.”
Operationalizing a program at this scale in just a few short weeks was also a valuable stress test for our organization—and one that we passed with high marks. We built a first-class logistics operation and strengthened capabilities that will stand us in good stead for future initiatives.
Perhaps most importantly, the program was also an excellent opportunity for us to live our values and manifest our mission. By reaching out to those who are at risk and in need, this initiative was a great example of doing the right thing at the right time. By meeting the moment with a convergence of best practices and new technology —all while operating from our values—the program helped us set the stage for long-term growth and success.