Covid Vaccine DC- "Separate, but Equal"??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 70-year old relative got vaccinated this way -- they called her up without her even registering on a vaccine list. She's a patient at the hospital's cancer center.

I am happy for your family. I dont begrudge anyone who is called , taking the appointment. Also, as mentioned above I dont begrudge special allotments for nursing homes and critically ill. However, there is going to be a group called up soon of the medically high risk, and then just people in other different categories. Will the ones who happen to be registered with the hospitals be the "lucky winners" who skip the crap DC web + telephone portals?

DC Government should make sure the hospitals vaccinate as many people as possible daily since they have a good set up for it, but there should be ONE clearinghouse - the DC GOV portal and phone line. They can set that up to prioritize whomever they wish, they can even connect patients like your relative to the preferred facility if they want to finesse it to keep patients with established providers as a sub group, but they need to be the center of distribution efforts. That is the only way to be transparent. And this precious vaccine demands transparency.

Why should there only be one clearinghouse? Shots are shots. It's never going to meet everyone's idea of what is equitable or wise, at least while the supply is so limited. Homeless people aren't registering online or calling for hours and hours, so there are some shots dedicated to those folks. The lady above was a CANCER patient. I'm happy that hospitals are reaching out to their patients if they have extra vaccines.

Because of PPs point in post directly above. "Healthy donor". Not EVERYONE getting them now is a CANCER patient, and if DC wanted CANCER patients (who I am incredobly sympathetic to) or homeless at the verymost front of the line, they could eaaily set that up based on their planning rationale. Right now they have created two confusing pools, people who are lucky to be on hospital lists and people who have to roll the dice on the crap DC GOV website and phone line.

Yes, I am sure those cancer patients feel so lucky.

The point is to vax the most vulnerable to keep them from getting sick and flooding the healthcare system plus the frontline workers to keep essential services going. Then we move to the next group. Yes, there will be unethical people cutting the line and the city won’t catch them. Just like every other kind of govt benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 70-year old relative got vaccinated this way -- they called her up without her even registering on a vaccine list. She's a patient at the hospital's cancer center.

I am happy for your family. I dont begrudge anyone who is called , taking the appointment. Also, as mentioned above I dont begrudge special allotments for nursing homes and critically ill. However, there is going to be a group called up soon of the medically high risk, and then just people in other different categories. Will the ones who happen to be registered with the hospitals be the "lucky winners" who skip the crap DC web + telephone portals?

DC Government should make sure the hospitals vaccinate as many people as possible daily since they have a good set up for it, but there should be ONE clearinghouse - the DC GOV portal a




nd phone line. They can set that up to prioritize whomever they wish, they can even connect patients like your relative to the preferred facility if they want to finesse it to keep patients with established providers as a sub group, but they need to be the center of distribution efforts. That is the only way to be transparent. And this precious vaccine demands transparency.

Why should there only be one clearinghouse? Shots are shots. It's never going to meet everyone's idea of what is equitable or wise, at least while the supply is so limited. Homeless people aren't registering online or calling for hours and hours, so there are some shots dedicated to those folks. The lady above was a CANCER patient. I'm happy that hospitals are reaching out to their patients if they have extra vaccines.

Because of PPs point in post directly above. "Healthy donor". Not EVERYONE getting them now is a CANCER patient, and if DC wanted CANCER patients (who I am incredobly sympathetic to) or homeless at the verymost front of the line, they could eaaily set that up based on their planning rationale. Right now they have created two confusing pools, people who are lucky to be on hospital lists and people who have to roll the dice on the crap DC GOV website and phone line.

Yes, I am sure those cancer patients feel so lucky.

The point is to vax the most vulnerable to keep them from getting sick and flooding the healthcare system plus the frontline workers to keep essential services going. Then we move to the next group. Yes, there will be unethical people cutting the line and the city won’t catch them. Just like every other kind of govt benefit.

Twist my words, OKAAY. The point is to vax the most vulnerable - thats what the city is ALREADY doing. Why a separate system with ZERO transparency? Guess you are already on " the list"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it that DC hospitals are running their own private lists, apart from the central DC Gov web/telephone sites? Their patients are getting called directly to sign up from their patient lists. How is this equal access?

There are a number of advantages to doing this. One, the people contacted by the hospitals are likelier to actually be higher-risk than the general population (since they're patients of major hospital systems). Two, the hospitals can triage their patient list internally to call the actually higher-risk patients on the list first. Three, anyone who gets vaccinated through a health system is no longer attempting to secure an appointment through the city (or no longer needs to show up for one, if they already had booked one). And four, the logistics are easier for the hospitals to manage on their own -- they don't have to coordinate with the whole citywide system -- and they're mostly using the Pfizer vaccine, which requires colder storage and is a little more complicated than the Moderna one.

Obviously, there's a risk that the overall patterns of inequity in vaccine distribution continue in the hospital distribution, too. But there's nothing inherently unfair about having the hospitals vaccinate the portion of the population that their health systems are already aware of and in touch with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it that DC hospitals are running their own private lists, apart from the central DC Gov web/telephone sites? Their patients are getting called directly to sign up from their patient lists. How is this equal access?

There are a number of advantages to doing this. One, the people contacted by the hospitals are likelier to actually be higher-risk than the general population (since they're patients of major hospital systems). Two, the hospitals can triage their patient list internally to call the actually higher-risk patients on the list first. Three, anyone who gets vaccinated through a health system is no longer attempting to secure an appointment through the city (or no longer needs to show up for one, if they already had booked one). And four, the logistics are easier for the hospitals to manage on their own -- they don't have to coordinate with the whole citywide system -- and they're mostly using the Pfizer vaccine, which requires colder storage and is a little more complicated than the Moderna one.

Obviously, there's a risk that the overall patterns of inequity in vaccine distribution continue in the hospital distribution, too. But there's nothing inherently unfair about having the hospitals vaccinate the portion of the population that their health systems are already aware of and in touch with.

You lost me here. How is it not inherently unfair to be in a pool that has a greater probability of being contacted? As to 'high-risk'--the city policy based on CDC guidance addresses that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it that DC hospitals are running their own private lists, apart from the central DC Gov web/telephone sites? Their patients are getting called directly to sign up from their patient lists. How is this equal access?

There are a number of advantages to doing this. One, the people contacted by the hospitals are likelier to actually be higher-risk than the general population (since they're patients of major hospital systems). Two, the hospitals can triage their patient list internally to call the actually higher-risk patients on the list first. Three, anyone who gets vaccinated through a health system is no longer attempting to secure an appointment through the city (or no longer needs to show up for one, if they already had booked one). And four, the logistics are easier for the hospitals to manage on their own -- they don't have to coordinate with the whole citywide system -- and they're mostly using the Pfizer vaccine, which requires colder storage and is a little more complicated than the Moderna one.

Obviously, there's a risk that the overall patterns of inequity in vaccine distribution continue in the hospital distribution, too. But there's nothing inherently unfair about having the hospitals vaccinate the portion of the population that their health systems are already aware of and in touch with.

You lost me here. How is it not inherently unfair to be in a pool that has a greater probability of being contacted? As to 'high-risk'--the city policy based on CDC guidance addresses that.

Sigh. The system is not meant to be fair. This is your mistake. The system is meant to save lives and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. The current city policy of distributing vaccine by age and zip code does not address the risk factors that a hospital might be uniquely able to address; e.g. the cancer patients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 70-year old relative got vaccinated this way -- they called her up without her even registering on a vaccine list. She's a patient at the hospital's cancer center.

I am happy for your family. I dont begrudge anyone who is called , taking the appointment. Also, as mentioned above I dont begrudge special allotments for nursing homes and critically ill. However, there is going to be a group called up soon of the medically high risk, and then just people in other different categories. Will the ones who happen to be registered with the hospitals be the "lucky winners" who skip the crap DC web + telephone portals?

DC Government should make sure the hospitals vaccinate as many people as possible daily since they have a good set up for it, but there should be ONE clearinghouse - the DC GOV portal a




nd phone line. They can set that up to prioritize whomever they wish, they can even connect patients like your relative to the preferred facility if they want to finesse it to keep patients with established providers as a sub group, but they need to be the center of distribution efforts. That is the only way to be transparent. And this precious vaccine demands transparency.

Why should there only be one clearinghouse? Shots are shots. It's never going to meet everyone's idea of what is equitable or wise, at least while the supply is so limited. Homeless people aren't registering online or calling for hours and hours, so there are some shots dedicated to those folks. The lady above was a CANCER patient. I'm happy that hospitals are reaching out to their patients if they have extra vaccines.

Because of PPs point in post directly above. "Healthy donor". Not EVERYONE getting them now is a CANCER patient, and if DC wanted CANCER patients (who I am incredobly sympathetic to) or homeless at the verymost front of the line, they could eaaily set that up based on their planning rationale. Right now they have created two confusing pools, people who are lucky to be on hospital lists and people who have to roll the dice on the crap DC GOV website and phone line.

Yes, I am sure those cancer patients feel so lucky.

The point is to vax the most vulnerable to keep them from getting sick and flooding the healthcare system plus the frontline workers to keep essential services going. Then we move to the next group. Yes, there will be unethical people cutting the line and the city won’t catch them. Just like every other kind of govt benefit.

Twist my words, OKAAY. The point is to vax the most vulnerable - thats what the city is ALREADY doing. Why a separate system with ZERO transparency? Guess you are already on " the list"?

At the very bottom of the list, actually. And happy to be there if it means the most vulnerable and most essential are at the top.

Part of reaching the most vulnerable is using existing info - like hospital records - to identify and contact people like CANCER patients rather than rely on those people being able to access the system. Using multiple access points is basic.

I cannot believe you are arguing against giving cancer patients first dibs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 70-year old relative got vaccinated this way -- they called her up without her even registering on a vaccine list. She's a patient at the hospital's cancer center.

I am happy for your family. I dont begrudge anyone who is called , taking the appointment. Also, as mentioned above I dont begrudge special allotments for nursing homes and critically ill. However, there is going to be a group called up soon of the medically high risk, and then just people in other different categories. Will the ones who happen to be registered with the hospitals be the "lucky winners" who skip the crap DC web + telephone portals?

DC Government should make sure the hospitals vaccinate as many people as possible daily since they have a good set up for it, but there should be ONE clearinghouse - the DC GOV portal a




nd phone line. They can set that up to prioritize whomever they wish, they can even connect patients like your relative to the preferred facility if they want to finesse it to keep patients with established providers as a sub group, but they need to be the center of distribution efforts. That is the only way to be transparent. And this precious vaccine demands transparency.

Why should there only be one clearinghouse? Shots are shots. It's never going to meet everyone's idea of what is equitable or wise, at least while the supply is so limited. Homeless people aren't registering online or calling for hours and hours, so there are some shots dedicated to those folks. The lady above was a CANCER patient. I'm happy that hospitals are reaching out to their patients if they have extra vaccines.

Because of PPs point in post directly above. "Healthy donor". Not EVERYONE getting them now is a CANCER patient, and if DC wanted CANCER patients (who I am incredobly sympathetic to) or homeless at the verymost front of the line, they could eaaily set that up based on their planning rationale. Right now they have created two confusing pools, people who are lucky to be on hospital lists and people who have to roll the dice on the crap DC GOV website and phone line.

Yes, I am sure those cancer patients feel so lucky.

The point is to vax the most vulnerable to keep them from getting sick and flooding the healthcare system plus the frontline workers to keep essential services going. Then we move to the next group. Yes, there will be unethical people cutting the line and the city won’t catch them. Just like every other kind of govt benefit.

Twist my words, OKAAY. The point is to vax the most vulnerable - thats what the city is ALREADY doing. Why a separate system with ZERO transparency? Guess you are already on " the list"?

At the very bottom of the list, actually. And happy to be there if it means the most vulnerable and most essential are at the top.

Part of reaching the most vulnerable is using existing info - like hospital records - to identify and contact people like CANCER patients rather than rely on those people being able to access the system. Using multiple access points is basic.

I cannot believe you are arguing against giving cancer patients first dibs.

Can you show me the published evidence (by the city) that having a separate pool of hospital patient signups (who could be registered with the hospital for a hangnail treatment) means cancer patients are guaranteed first fibs? Second, if the city wants cancer patients to have first dibs--why don't they put that in their plan for the whole city and operationalize it through the DC GOV sign up? Then ALL cancer patients could have first dibs. Last, when hospitals have innoculated all the cancer patients on their rolls (assuming that's true) - who is next? Where is the plan? What's the method of selection? This all sounds very MADE UP/Smoke and mirrors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 70-year old relative got vaccinated this way -- they called her up without her even registering on a vaccine list. She's a patient at the hospital's cancer center.

I am happy for your family. I dont begrudge anyone who is called , taking the appointment. Also, as mentioned above I dont begrudge special allotments for nursing homes and critically ill. However, there is going to be a group called up soon of the medically high risk, and then just people in other different categories. Will the ones who happen to be registered with the hospitals be the "lucky winners" who skip the crap DC web + telephone portals?

DC Government should make sure the hospitals vaccinate as many people as possible daily since they have a good set up for it, but there should be ONE clearinghouse - the DC GOV portal a




nd phone line. They can set that up to prioritize whomever they wish, they can even connect patients like your relative to the preferred facility if they want to finesse it to keep patients with established providers as a sub group, but they need to be the center of distribution efforts. That is the only way to be transparent. And this precious vaccine demands transparency.

Why should there only be one clearinghouse? Shots are shots. It's never going to meet everyone's idea of what is equitable or wise, at least while the supply is so limited. Homeless people aren't registering online or calling for hours and hours, so there are some shots dedicated to those folks. The lady above was a CANCER patient. I'm happy that hospitals are reaching out to their patients if they have extra vaccines.

Because of PPs point in post directly above. "Healthy donor". Not EVERYONE getting them now is a CANCER patient, and if DC wanted CANCER patients (who I am incredobly sympathetic to) or homeless at the verymost front of the line, they could eaaily set that up based on their planning rationale. Right now they have created two confusing pools, people who are lucky to be on hospital lists and people who have to roll the dice on the crap DC GOV website and phone line.

Yes, I am sure those cancer patients feel so lucky.

The point is to vax the most vulnerable to keep them from getting sick and flooding the healthcare system plus the frontline workers to keep essential services going. Then we move to the next group. Yes, there will be unethical people cutting the line and the city won’t catch them. Just like every other kind of govt benefit.

Twist my words, OKAAY. The point is to vax the most vulnerable - thats what the city is ALREADY doing. Why a separate system with ZERO transparency? Guess you are already on " the list"?

At the very bottom of the list, actually. And happy to be there if it means the most vulnerable and most essential are at the top.

Part of reaching the most vulnerable is using existing info - like hospital records - to identify and contact people like CANCER patients rather than rely on those people being able to access the system. Using multiple access points is basic.

I cannot believe you are arguing against giving cancer patients first dibs.

Can you show me the published evidence (by the city) that having a separate pool of hospital patient signups (who could be registered with the hospital for a hangnail treatment) means cancer patients are guaranteed first fibs? Second, if the city wants cancer patients to have first dibs--why don't they put that in their plan for the whole city and operationalize it through the DC GOV sign up? Then ALL cancer patients could have first dibs. Last, when hospitals have innoculated all the cancer patients on their rolls (assuming that's true) - who is next? Where is the plan? What's the method of selection? This all sounds very MADE UP/Smoke and mirrors.

What is your beef? Why are you so insistent that every appointment and shot flow through the DC portal? It's been a total crapshoot for the eligible (non-healthcare) folks I know who are trying to use it. I'm thrilled that hospitals have vaccine that they can distribute as they are able. I don't care if it's a cancer patient or a hangnail patient, though I assume hospitals have many more actually sick patients over 65 than they do hangnail victims over 65.

[Anonymous]

Are you saying that the city should not take advantage of existing medical records and contact information for medically vulnerable people that already exists? That instead, it should build an entirely new database by combining data from multiple sources and then using that data to contact individuals? You do understand that they are trying to reach people quickly and save resources where they can so as to be able to afford to distribute the vaccine to as many people as possible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you saying that the city should not take advantage of existing medical records and contact information for medically vulnerable people that already exists? That instead, it should build an entirely new database by combining data from multiple sources and then using that data to contact individuals? You do understand that they are trying to reach people quickly and save resources where they can so as to be able to afford to distribute the vaccine to as many people as possible?

The city should follow its own protocols. Right now they are mw3ant to be innoculating a certain group of people as per the CDC guidance theyve adopted, who call the phone line or web site and are scheduled for an appointment. The hospitals could simply be more sites efficiently administering those shots to the people the city has stated are in the current priority group. By the way, Im on one of these hospital lists - I wont say no if called, but that doesnt make this set up right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saying that the city should not take advantage of existing medical records and contact information for medically vulnerable people that already exists? That instead, it should build an entirely new database by combining data from multiple sources and then using that data to contact individuals? You do understand that they are trying to reach people quickly and save resources where they can so as to be able to afford to distribute the vaccine to as many people as possible?

The city should follow its own protocols. Right now they are mw3ant to be innoculating a certain group of people as per the CDC guidance theyve adopted, who call the phone line or web site and are scheduled for an appointment. The hospitals could simply be more sites efficiently administering those shots to the people the city has stated are in the current priority group. By the way, Im on one of these hospital lists - I wont say no if called, but that doesnt make this set up right.

Where in the protocol does it say that vaccines will only be distributed through appointments online or by phone? DC is by and large following the tiering, but they've added teachers, daycare workers and (I think) front-line workers. The situation remains fluid as they try to get vaccine out as quickly as possible to different populations.

Are you following the other state threads? People are going crazy trying to register through pharmacies, the state registration sites and the various hospital systems. I am trying to get my parents a vaccine in Montgomery county and it's a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it that DC hospitals are running their own private lists, apart from the central DC Gov web/telephone sites? Their patients are getting called directly to sign up from their patient lists. How is this equal access?

Including Howard and UMC...what is the problem, the vaccines are getting out to the people who need them first, you know, the ones who are already on hospital lists because of preexisting conditions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saying that the city should not take advantage of existing medical records and contact information for medically vulnerable people that already exists? That instead, it should build an entirely new database by combining data from multiple sources and then using that data to contact individuals? You do understand that they are trying to reach people quickly and save resources where they can so as to be able to afford to distribute the vaccine to as many people as possible?

The city should follow its own protocols. Right now they are mw3ant to be innoculating a certain group of people as per the CDC guidance theyve adopted, who call the phone line or web site and are scheduled for an appointment. The hospitals could simply be more sites efficiently administering those shots to the people the city has stated are in the current priority group. By the way, Im on one of these hospital lists - I wont say no if called, but that doesnt make this set up right.

Whoa. So you are complaining this somehow isn’t right and at the same time stating you will get the vaccine using the very same system you criticize? Your picture must be next to definition of hypocrite in the dictionary.

[Anonymous]

I don't begrudge anyone who is legally offered the vaccine going ahead and taking it. I will freely criticize how DC is administering those opportunities, and if they changed the rules it would apply to me as well. Right now there is ZERO mention of these hospital vaccines going to the sickest of the sick. Patients who are 65+ and have been patients in the last 2 years are encouraged to call for appointment. It's becoming obvious that this is in fact about passing the costs of adminstering the vaccines on to insurers, as recent patients will have insurance on file with the hospital who will submit the claim. Patients who show up at a pharmacy, GIANT or other DC adminstering site may or may not have an insurance card in hand and the city will have to backfill all of that. So basically, if you have insurance in DC on file at a hospital, you get to wait in the club lounge and hop in the expedited lane. Those are the dots Im connecting; have seen nothing to indicate a different explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you saying that the city should not take advantage of existing medical records and contact information for medically vulnerable people that already exists? That instead, it should build an entirely new database by combining data from multiple sources and then using that data to contact individuals? You do understand that they are trying to reach people quickly and save resources where they can so as to be able to afford to distribute the vaccine to as many people as possible?

The city should follow its own protocols. Right now they are mw3ant to be innoculating a certain group of people as per the CDC guidance theyve adopted, who call the phone line or web site and are scheduled for an appointment. The hospitals could simply be more sites efficiently administering those shots to the people the city has stated are in the current priority group. By the way, Im on one of these hospital lists - I wont say no if called, but that doesnt make this set up right.

The hospitals are also following the same lists, though -- if you sign up through MedStar, they tell you they'll contact you if they have vaccine available and when they get to the group in which you're eligible.