Richard H. Hughes, IV, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted in Inside Health Policy, in “CDC’s Formal Hep B Birth Dose Shift, Same Day Grant Raise Alarms,” by Maaisha Osman.
Following is an excerpt:
CDC's shift to "shared clinical" decision-making on the hepatitis B birth dose could create practical challenges for pediatricians, particularly during a newborn's first office visits, according to Richard Hughes, a partner at Epstein Becker Green. …
"For pediatricians who see their newborn patients during their first few visits, this creates challenges in determining how to advise on the hepatitis B series," Hughes told IHP, noting that in many cases "it may be entirely unclear whether the baby received a birth dose or is recommended to receive subsequent doses." …
Hughes also warned the CDC's hepatitis B policy shift could ripple beyond pediatrics, creating confusion for pharmacists who often serve as patients' most accessible point of care. While pharmacists primarily vaccinate adolescents and adults, "the overall rhetoric around Hep B vaccine recommendations could certainly create operational or workflow challenges for pharmacists when patients are confused," Hughes said, pointing to the risk of inconsistent messaging across the health care system. …
