RSV Prevention

WHAT IS RSV?

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is one of the viruses responsible for the common cold and infections in the upper parts of the respiratory tract. RSV also can cause infection in the lower respiratory tract, such as pneumonia in the lung tissue and, more commonly, bronchiolitis inside the smallest airways (bronchioles).

RSV is spread in secretions from the nose or mouth of someone with an RSV infection, often through coughs or sneezes. RSV also can be carried on unwashed hands and on contaminated objects, such as dirty tissues, doorknobs and desktops. It typically enters the body through the eyes, nose or mouth when someone with contaminated fingers touches his or her face or eyes or breathes in droplets.

Infants, especially those who were born early (premature), the elderly, and people of any age with certain types of heart disease, chronic lung disease or weakened immune systems, have the greatest risk of serious illness from RSV. In the United States, RSV infections cause numerous hospitalizations and thousands of deaths each year, usually between late fall and early spring. The highest rates of serious childhood RSV illness occur in infants under 6 months old. Almost all children have been exposed to RSV by the age of 3, but most do not become dangerously ill. Getting the infection more than once is common, but infections that follow the first one generally are mild.

RSV tends to cause typical cold symptoms, including:

• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Stuffy nose
• Cough
• Mild wheezing
• Slight headache
• Mild fever

INFORMATION ABOUT SYNAGIS

GOALS

• Provide timely Synagis administration
• Achieve parent or guardian compliance for scheduled appointments
• Offer an alternative to Physicians who do not wish to purchase Synagis and find the AOB program too cumbersome for their practice
• Ease the administrative burden for Physicians and their staff during the RSV season
• Provide a tracking mechanism for Physicians to identify and refer high-risk patients year-round, enabling prompt initiation of services at the onset of the RSV season

PROCESS/SERVICES

Upon receipt of a Synagis referral, The Care Group will:

• Communicate with the parents/guardians to introduce our services, initiate RSV/Synagis education, and pre-schedule appointments for the season
• Manage all administrative functions of checking payor eligibility and benefits, billing, and collections
• Purchase Synagis and administer as prescribed at various locations
• Call clients monthly to remind of scheduled date of injection
• Provide parents/guardians with Synagis education to reinforce importance of compliance
• Remind parents to keep scheduled appointments with their physician
• Encourage compliance by offering convenient clinic sites with morning or afternoon appointment times (Location of Clinics)

EXPERIENCE/CREDENTIALS

• Employ experienced nurses and support staff who have served the pediatric home health needs of Harris and surrounding counties since 1987
• Completed 6 successful years of managing Synagis Centers with high compliance and customer satisfaction ratings.
• Achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 3.69 on a scale of 1 to 4 (4 being the highest score).

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DOCUMENT LIBRARY

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Referral Form 2008-2009: