CHRISTUS Health is one of the largest and most well-respected health systems in the U.S., operating more than 60 hospitals across the U.S. and abroad, and has received numerous honors for quality, cost of care, and clinician well-being. Driven by their values, CHRISTUS Health’s associates and leadership identified VaxCare’s services as a best-fit solution to prioritize their vaccine management with a partner similarly committed to excellence and integrity.

Comprising nearly 600 centers—including more than 300 clinics and outpatient centers and 15,000 physicians—CHRISTUS Health is renowned for its commitment to clinical excellence. Recognized nationally, the health system has received many awards, including the 2018 AMGA Acclaim Award for quality and cost of care and a Silver-level recognition from the American Medical Association’s Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program for clinician well-being.

Our clinicians are the heartbeat of our healing ministry. By investing in them, we are truly able to live our values of integrity, excellence, compassion, and stewardship…

Dr. Steven Keuer
Clinic President and Chief Medical Officer
CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic

Regina Brown Lead RN Regina played a pivotal role in implementing VaxCare at Christus Trinity Clinic Douglas, one of their largest clinics.

Despite this distinguished record, CHRISTUS Health recognized opportunities to enhance economic performance and improve operational consistency within its vaccination workflow. Dr. Steven Keuer, CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic President and Chief Medical Officer, underscored the importance of workflows that enable their providers when they received the Joy in Medicine Award: “Our clinicians are the heartbeat of our healing ministry. By investing in them, we are truly able to live our values of integrity, excellence, compassion, and stewardship as we strive to improve the lives of individuals and communities.” However, the lack of a unified, standardized vaccine management system created additional burdens, often diverting associates’ time and focus from direct patient care.

MAKING AN ASSESSMENT

Identifying the Challenges

Before the partnership with VaxCare, vaccine management in CHRISTUS Health clinics presented multiple challenges:

• Economic Uncertainty: According to Justin Simon, PharmD, MBA, System Director, Pharmacy Network Operations, Division of Clinical Excellence, a lack of standardization led to potential economic losses. “Due to lack of standardization, it’s likely some of our clinics had a net margin of -10% on vaccines.”
• Visibility Issues: Clinics managed their vaccine inventory using varied, often paper-based, processes. Without a unified system, it was difficult for CHRISTUS Health to maintain real-time visibility into vaccine stocks across its network.
• Operational Inconsistency: Clinics were independently responsible for the usage, forecasting, and ordering of vaccines and supplies, leading to discrepancies in performance and occasional shortages that required intervention from the central pharmacy team. Valerie Hawkins, Practice Manager at CHRISTUS Health Internal Medicine of Longview, shared insights into the challenges her clinic faced before the VaxCare partnership. “With over 25 years in practice management, I can say that even our clinic would consistently run out of non-seasonal vaccines,” she explained. “We’d be down to the last box, and no one would know because we have 100 priorities in a day — and vaccine management wasn’t one of them.”

This scattered, ad hoc approach made it clear that a standardized, transparent solution was essential to maintaining CHRISTUS Health’s reputation for excellence while supporting the well-being of its workforce.

We knew a change was important, but with competing priorities, we were looking to adopt a proven system that could standardize more than 100+ clinics.

Jean Dib
Corporate Director, Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacy, Division of Clinical Excellence
CHRISTUS Health

SEEKING A PARTNER

A Commitment to Transformation

CHRISTUS Health turned to VaxCare, a leader in vaccine management solutions, seeking an experienced partner capable of transforming and unifying their vaccination processes. As Jean Dib, Corporate Director, Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacy, Division of Clinical Excellence, explained, “We knew a change was important, but with competing priorities, we were looking to adopt a proven system that could standardize more than 100+ clinics.” VaxCare offered the tools to streamline clinic workflows, enhance inventory transparency, and improve economic outcomes. Jean Dib emphasized the alignment between VaxCare’s team and CHRISTUS Health’s mission, stating, “VaxCare provided not only the right tools but also a team whose commitment to excellence and integrity matched our own values.”

Jean Dib Corporate Director, Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacy, Division of Clinical Excellence CHRISTUS Health

IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES

The Benefits of Partnership

Through their partnership, CHRISTUS Health quickly saw the transformative impact VaxCare could deliver across its network.

Enhanced Economic Performance

One of the initial financial reliefs came when VaxCare purchased over $2.2 million worth of CHRISTUS Health’s existing vaccine inventory, allowing the organization to reallocate that capital. Over time, VaxCare has purchased more than $27 million worth of vaccines on behalf of CHRISTUS Health, providing a consistent cash flow benefit and freeing CHRISTUS Health from the financial responsibility of maintaining vaccine inventory.

Standardized Processes Across Clinics

VaxCare’s system unified CHRISTUS Health’s clinics under a single, automated inventory and vaccine management platform. The VaxCare solution fully integrates with Epic, CHRISTUS Health’s electronic medical record (EMR) system, allowing for seamless documentation and immediate updates across clinics. This standardization resulted in:

• Consistent vaccine availability, reducing the need for central pharmacy interventions.
• Streamlined workflows, where providers and practice managers can focus on patient care while VaxCare handles the vaccine inventory and billing needs.

This automated approach has empowered CHRISTUS Health clinics to eliminate manual inventory management, deliver consistency, and reduce the administrative burden on clinic associates. Valerie Hawkins described the impact of the new system, saying, “It’s a game changer. It tracks all our inventory needs and ensures accountability in our patient chart documentation. I can’t imagine working without it now.”

Visibility and Accountability Across the Network

With VaxCare’s platform, CHRISTUS Health gained a bird’ s-eye view of its entire vaccine inventory. The platform allows leaders to track vaccine usage, forecast demand, and optimize ordering processes across more than 100 clinics. It provides real-time data and insights, enhancing accountability and supporting proactive decision-making.

The partnership has contributed to CHRISTUS Health’s mission by enabling clinics to vaccinate over 210,000 patients in 2023 alone, providing high-quality care without the logistical headaches that previously accompanied vaccine management.

CHRISTUS HEALTH AND VAXCARE

A Commitment to Excellence

The collaboration between CHRISTUS Health and VaxCare has not only improved operational efficiency and economic performance but also upheld CHRISTUS Health’s values of integrity, compassion, and stewardship. For CHRISTUS Health, this partnership represents more than just operational improvements; it embodies their dedication to supporting their clinicians and delivering exceptional care. VaxCare has enabled CHRISTUS Health to focus on what matters most: serving communities with excellence and compassion while remaining at the forefront of innovative healthcare solutions.

• Improved vaccine accountability, tracking, and inventory management
• Lowered costs and increased revenue
• 100% visibility into vaccine management across all clinics
• Rising vaccination rates
• Happier, more productive employees