The Utah City Vaccinating More Seniors Than Almost Anywhere Else in the State

When you rank the most prescribed items in Kaysville, Utah by Medicare claims, the top result isn't a cholesterol drug. It isn't a blood pressure pill. It's a vaccine.

The Varicella-Zoster vaccine, better known as Shingrix, the two-dose shingles vaccine, racked up 19,620 Medicare claims in Kaysville in 2023. The RSV vaccine came in second with 14,498 claims. Together, those two vaccines account for more Medicare billing in Kaysville than Atorvastatin, Levothyroxine, and Metformin combined.

For a city of around 30,000 people in Davis County, that's a standout number. And the reason it matters is that both of these vaccines are specifically recommended for people 65 and older, and both are still badly underutilized nationally.

Why shingles is worth taking seriously

Shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox. If you had chickenpox as a kid, and most people over 50 did, that virus is still sitting dormant in your nervous system. When your immune system weakens with age (which it does, for everyone), that virus can reactivate as shingles.

Shingles usually starts with pain or burning on one side of the body, followed by a blistering rash. Most cases clear up in a few weeks. But for a significant number of people over 65, the pain doesn't stop when the rash does. That's called postherpetic neuralgia, and it can last months or years. Some people describe it as the worst pain they've experienced.

Shingrix is about 97% effective at preventing shingles in people 50 to 69, and about 91% effective in people 70 and older. It's two doses, given a few months apart, and it's covered under Medicare Part D (not Part B, this matters for where you get it billed).

The RSV vaccine is newer, and also important

RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) sounds like a kids' illness, and it used to be mostly associated with infants. But adults over 65 are at real risk too. RSV sends around 177,000 older Americans to the hospital every year and causes about 14,000 deaths in that age group.

The RSV vaccine for adults 60 and older was approved by the FDA in 2023, which is why you're seeing it show up in the Medicare data for the first time this year. Kaysville's Family Practice providers moved fast on it, 14,498 claims in a single year is a lot of uptake for a brand-new vaccine.

Why Kaysville's numbers stand out

The Kaysville data doesn't mean people in other Utah cities are skipping these vaccines, it probably reflects a concentration of Family Practice providers in that area who have been aggressive about senior vaccination. Davis County has a relatively high density of primary care physicians, and Family Practice providers in Kaysville filed over 60,000 total Medicare claims in 2023.

What it does suggest is that vaccination rates among seniors vary a lot depending on who's doing the prescribing. If your doctor isn't bringing these up, it doesn't mean you don't need them.

What to do before you turn 65 or at your next appointment

If you haven't had Shingrix, talk to your doctor or pharmacist at your next visit. You can get it at most pharmacies in Utah, Harmons, Smith's, Walgreens, CVS. You don't need a separate appointment. Bring your Medicare card so it gets billed to Part D correctly.

For the RSV vaccine, ask your doctor whether it's right for you. It's generally recommended for adults 60 and older, especially those with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes. If you're in that category and haven't heard about it yet, now's a good time to ask.

For your adult children reading this: these are easy asks at an annual checkup. "Did Mom get her shingles vaccine?" is a completely normal question and takes about 30 seconds to verify.

The fact that Kaysville is vaccinating at this rate is good news. The goal is for every Utah city to look like Kaysville in this data.

Source: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug, 2023. Kaysville, UT prescriber data.