The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said healthcare providers may need to set up phone triage lines to facilitate the early treatment of high-risk influenza patients to cut down on hospitalizations, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.

The CDC is working in different areas of the country on new ways to treat patients more quickly. Establishing triage lines would enable clinicians to discuss patient symptoms and start antiviral medication sooner and would help infection control efforts in waiting rooms.

The CDC said this season has been a difficult one, especially for those 65 and older and for those with underlying medical conditions.

Studies suggest that anywhere from 5 to 15 percent of the country gets flu in an average flu year. That means tens of millions of influenza cases occur annually, resulting in hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations per year, according to the CDC.

Read the article.