October 13, 2021: MGMA and other leading health organizations urge Administration to leverage physician practices in COVID-19 vaccine rollout

October 13, 2021
 

The Honorable Jeffrey Zients White House COVID-⁠19 Response Coordinator The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20500

Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy U.S. Surgeon General Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue SW Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Mr. Zients and Surgeon General Murthy:

We, the undersigned organizations representing physicians nationwide, urge you to make it simpler for office-based physicians, including primary care physicians and pediatricians, to access COVID-19 vaccines. Office-based physicians are trusted messengers located in every community throughout the United States. They are in the best position to reach the unvaccinated, help people overcome vaccine hesitancy, and determine the need for and timing of additional doses for their elderly patients and those with underlying medical conditions. Primary care physicians are best equipped to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children, alongside other routine immunizations, as soon as they are authorized for patients under age 12. Furthermore, office-based physicians can alleviate the strain on hospital systems as they are facing staffing shortages and a surge of COVID-19 patients.

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