These developments have direct implications for clinical practice, patient care, and operational planning, and understanding these changes will be essential for staff involved in managing vaccination programs of all sizes. Our latest webinar covers the essentials and more, from high-level policy updates to what that means for you and your patients.

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• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Updates
• Influenza Updates
• COVID-19 Updates
• Respiratory Season with VaxCare

Vaccine Updates

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

New Infant Product and Adult Recommendations

Available Products

VaxCare’s platform enables partners to administer Medicare Part D vaccines to patients in your offices.

If you are interested in ordering pediatric, maternal, or adult RSV products, please contact sales@veexcare.com.

Vaccine Updates

Influenza

Recent Product Updates

Available Products

Vaccine Updates

COVID-19

Timing and Product Updates

Available Products

Pfizer’s previously authorized COVID-19 product for patients aged 6 months–4 years is no longer available. Any Partner who forecasted that product will instead receive Moderna’s Spikevax for the 6 month–4 year age cohort. Please look out for relevant communication if your practice is affected by this change.

Attestation of At-Risk Condition

To comply with new FDA indications, VaxCare is implementing a risk factor attestation for COVID-19 vaccine administration.

Providers will be required to confirm the patient has at least one condition that puts the patient at risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 when administering a COVID-19 vaccine to patients aged 6 months through 64 years.

This attestation will ensure VaxCare and Partners comply with the new FDA label for COVID-19 vaccines.

Additionally, providers are encouraged to document the patient’s condition that puts them at risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19 in the medical chart.

At-Risk Conditions

The CDC considers patients with the following conditions, along with others, as having a health condition that puts them at risk for severe COVID-19:

VaxCare Updates

Respiratory Season with VaxCare

VaxCare’s Adherence Programs

What to Expect from Adherence Programs

Targeted Programs

• Pediatric Patient Outreach (Sent to Guardian)
• Adult Patient Outreach

_{VaxCare will send your patients reminder text messages on behalf of your practice.}

What’s the impact?

19%

Average Improvement Seen Through VaxCare’s Adherence Programs.

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Simplifying the VFC Workflow

VaxCare Adapts to Each Jurisdiction’s Program Policies

• State-specific policies for Medicaid/CHIP VFC eligibility.
• Clinic-specific policies, including underinsured, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and secondary Medicaid children.
• VFC administration in 27 states, with additional states opening in the coming months.
• VaxCare can also support tracking for other public stocks, including Section 317 doses and state-specific stocks.

One Workflow

To track, manage, and bill all inventories.

Point of Care Eligibility

For patient coverage and stock selection.

Convenient Reporting

To streamline ordering and auditing.

VFC Billing Expansion

Currently Open States: 29
_{VaxCare is working on securing payer contracts to open VFC billing in all states.}

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The post Getting Ready for the 2025 Respiratory Season appeared first on VaxCare.

Even if you’ve been in practice for years, accurately predicting how much of each vaccine you need can be tricky with so many variables to consider: historical data, current patient population, current health trends, and more. We’ve put together some tips for managing this complicated and potentially expensive process.

Tips to managing the ordering process:

• Most practices will want to order non-flu vaccines weekly or every two weeks. The more often you order, the lower the risk of running out in crunch times. The downside of more frequent ordering? You’ll have to spend more administrative dollars to keep track of what’s coming in and what’s going out.
• Make sure you’ve reviewed the most recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) schedule of recommendations so you’re aware of changes you need to make to your ordering plan. Visit the ACIP’s page on the CDC website here.
• Use an inventory spreadsheet to calculate orders based on your past history.
• Your vaccine manufacturer representatives can be good sources of information. It’s worth checking with them for your past ordering history and/or guidelines for what similar practices are ordering.

The post How to Calculate Your Vaccine Order appeared first on VaxCare.

Their recommendation: Break the patient journey into discrete “stations.” Organizing a clinic around small tasks works on two levels: Spacing out the work helps prevent bottlenecks in the many steps involved in delivering a vaccine, from check-in paperwork to scheduling any follow-ups, it also has the convenient effect of helping patients feel as if they are continually making progress, rather than just “waiting in line.” Both result in less stress for staff and patients (always a good thing!).

Regardless of the size of your clinic or the location of your vaccination event (on-site, off-site, etc.), the general stations and roles remain the same. Here are the key stations to consider in your vaccination clinic flow:

1. Waiting Area: Patients will need an area to wait before starting the vaccination process; consider how you will prioritize them or organize them by appointment time
2. Eligibility Screening/Check-in: Confirm a patient’s eligibility and check them in
3. Payment: Collect payment or insurance information (if applicable)
4. Medical Screening/Consent: Screen patients and prep them on what will be taking place during their vaccination
5. Vaccination: Administer vaccine
6. Checkout Paperwork: Provide patients with vaccination confirmation, paperwork, and, if necessary, a follow-up appointment
7. Exit: Consider using a one-way flow with different entry/exit points for patients

Outlining the flow of your vaccination clinic in advance will help both your staff and patients better understand what is expected of them. Patients can become easily lost or disoriented in large or even midsize clinics, so be sure to provide clear and highly visible signage and directions. Err on the side of over-communicating directions and expectations—your patients (and staff) will greatly appreciate knowing the next step in their clinic journey.

The post Go With The Flow: Setting Up Vaccine Clinic Stations appeared first on VaxCare.

Setting Your Bill Rate

Setting your bill rate for vaccines is not a matter of a simple markup of the vaccine cost. There are many aspects of the program and parties involved to factor in. Here are some of the key ones:

• Vaccine Cost: Each vaccine has an average wholesale price that can dictate reimbursement, so you’ll need to make sure that your bill rate fully covers your original cost.
• Administrative Cost: Vaccines require the supplies involved in administration, as well as your staff’s valuable time. You should include these costs in your bill rate.
• Maximizing Reimbursements: Because each insurance company reimburses at a different rate and individual plans may cover different costs, it’s important to set a bill rate for vaccines that enables your office to receive reimbursement from all available payers. This means understanding your contracts and what your possible reimbursement looks like for all insurance partners.

Managing Your Reimbursements and Denials

Billing for vaccines brings the companion tasks of managing reimbursements and denials. Claims can be denied because of issues on both the payer or the provider sides, so it’s important to review the entire landscape when doing the detective work to reverse a denial. Here are some areas where issues may arise:

• Errors in Entry: Your practice might have been entered into the system incorrectly or there may be an error with coding, but it’s important to make sure that your contract fee schedule is being reflected in your reimbursements.
• Coding Issues: Your claim may be denied because of the same coding issues we outlined above. If you receive a denial, be sure to confirm that your original billing was coded correctly.
• Contract Satisfaction: Even if everything has run smoothly, you may still find that you’re not being reimbursed at a level that works for your office. Consider renegotiating your specific contracts or investigating different bill rates to make the most of each claim. See our blog post on negotiating contracts for more information.

The post The Details Count: Setting Bill Rates & Managing Reimbursement appeared first on VaxCare.

Here’s why: vaccine programs are notoriously hard to manage well. The inventory is expensive and tracking and tracing is time-consuming, and the processes are complicated. But without impeccable management, every step of the process is an “opportunity” for leakage (a couple of doses lost here; a billing error there).

After studying thousands of practices across the country, we’re sharing four things you can do to make sure you are getting the most out of your program.

1. You need a dedicated vaccine coordinator.

With resources so thin in primary care, your staff probably wear many hats. But with vaccine inventory management, you need a single “champion.” The vaccine coordinator keeps the troops rallied behind the cause and makes sure every detail is taken care of to keep the program running efficiently and profitably: ordering, administration, billing, proper storage and maintenance for the vaccines, syringes, and other supplies. It’s a big job, and it’s crucial for your success—which is why the CDC recommends that practices hire a dedicated vaccine manager or coordinator.

ACTION: Hire or put someone in charge of your program. Whether it’s someone on your current staff or a new hire, a vaccine coordinator is crucial to take control of program processes, from ordering to inventory management, from administration to billing.

2. You need a standardized documentation process.

Our research shows that when documentation takes place more than 90 minutes after the appointment, 4X the number of doses go undocumented. This means nurses either need to painstakingly track the missing doses down, or risk losing the compensation from those missing doses. Both scenarios are costly—and frustrating.

ACTION: Make sure documentation is happening as close to the point of care as possible. To give your practice the data it needs to succeed, your vaccine coordinator should create a spreadsheet, post it by the vaccine refrigerator every day, and require your staff to manually input every transaction in and out of the fridge. For vaccines administered, you’ll need to capture on the ledger:

1. the patient’s consent form (or ID number)
2. the vaccine type that was checked out
3. the lot # the vaccine came from

3. You need a plan—and accountability.

It’s said that you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and so auditing is a crucial step in the process, one that sets an expectation of accountability for your whole office. The “champion” will be in charge, but the auditing plan should be documented, communicated, and posted so the entire staff has visibility. This is especially important when it comes to staff turnover, often a challenge for primary care practices. With a set plan, it’s easy to retrain new staff and have everyone on the same page at all times. The plan should include detailed and up-to-date operating procedures, including how to handle routine vaccine management activities, as well as the protocol for retrieval and storage when there’s an emergency.

ACTION: Create and execute a weekly auditing plan. Every week, your team should count the products in your fridge and compare it to your shipments received and administered doses. If the numbers don’t match up, you’ll need to go into your EHR and compare the doses that were ordered by the physician to the doses that were checked out on the manual spreadsheet you created in the documentation phase

4. You need to regularly review and reconcile.

Most practices have only a rough idea of their purchase rate and their “ideal reimbursement scenario,” but no clarity on the actual net outcome of their program. In fact, we’ve seen many practices treat the vaccine fridge more like a candy bowl on your receptionist’s desk: people take what they want, when they want it; no one’s checking at the end of the day who took what; and when it’s empty, someone fills it up again. But vaccines aren’t Tootsie Rolls, and that candy bowl strategy can take a very real toll on your business.

ACTION: Create a monthly report that compares purchasing costs to reimbursements after adjudication. This report will show all the potential profit holes in your process: doses you’ve billed that the payer didn’t reimburse; doses you’ve administered but forgot to bill, etc.

Want an easier way to manage your vaccine program?

When managed properly, your vaccine program can be both a public service to your patients and you community, and a much-needed revenue stream for your practice. But as we’ve seen, it’s not easy to do on your own. That’s where a partner like VaxCare comes in.

VaxCare is a comprehensive buy-and-bill solution that simplifies, optimizes, and elevates your vaccine program: we take over your vaccine purchasing, providing unlimited inventory at no cost and automatically replenishing your stock when the supply gets low. We automate your workflow, eliminating manual tasks and costly errors. Our platform ensures you’re paid for every qualifying dose, along with the end-to-end visibility you need to keep your vaccine program profitable. All that’s left for you to do is take care of your patients.

The post The 4 Things Your Practice Needs for Better Vaccine Inventory Management appeared first on VaxCare.

1. Ensure a Steady Stream of Patients

Pre-registration allows you to book patients at specific time slots throughout the day, creating a more predictable workload for staff and avoiding unpredictable ebbs and flows of traffic, and the ensuing back ups and bottlenecks—all of which create stress for both staff and patients. By slowing down the appointments at the end of the day, you can slowly wind down your clinic, with time for cleanup as you administer the last shots, and cuts down on the chances of the dreaded end-of-day patient rush. We’ve also heard from some practices that booking patients into specific slots results in a lower no-show rate.

2. Screen for Eligibility and Contraindications

Pre-registration gives your team the opportunity to screen patients for insurance eligibility, contraindications, comorbidities, and allergies before they travel to the site. All of which save time and frustration. Fewer irritated patients and staff make for a smoother clinic experience.

3. Set Expectations in Advance

While you may be expert in clinic operations, your patients may need a few reminders on what to wear, how to prepare, and what to expect when they arrive. Pre-registration gives you another opportunity to communicate with your patient population, setting up both them, and your staff, for success.

4. Plan Ahead for Supplies & Staff

Lastly, pre-registration helps your team plan in advance when it comes to vaccine quantity, medical supplies, and staffing. Having a good idea of the day’s schedule also allows better planning of the number of staff, and scheduling breaks for that staff. You’ll also end up with fewer leftover supplies that go unused and won’t be scrambling if a large group of unexpected patients shows up.

Pre-registration does take upfront work, but it helps to make your team feel prepared and to ensure patient attendance. The extra level of preparation may not be immediately quantifiable, but you will definitely feel the difference!

The post Flu Clinic Pre-Registration: Time Saving Efficiency appeared first on VaxCare.

Here, we’ll walk through a few things to know when it comes to returning those unused doses—and how to make the most of reimbursement programs offered by manufacturers.

Here’s what you need to know about dealing with unused or expired vaccines in your practice’s fridge:

• Manufacturers may have different return policies.
  Just like other aspects of vaccination protocols (pricing, shipping, reimbursement rates), not every manufacturer processes returns in the same way or offers the same return coverage. Knowing up front what a manufacturer will and will not accept can help you plan your vaccine inventory. The manufacturer’s website or your pharmaceutical representative are the best sources for the most up-to-date policies.
• Many returns result in credits, not refunds.
  You may be hoping for a straight refund, but many manufacturers only offer a credit towards future purchases. While this does move those expired doses out of your office, it doesn’t bring actual dollars back into your practice. If a manufacturer only offers credits and doesn’t offer a wide selection of vaccines that fit your patient population, you should take that into consideration when placing your initial order or sourcing your vaccines.
• Returning vaccines can be a slow, time-consuming process.
  Someone in your office will need to manage inventory and expiration dates, identify doses to be returned, look up relevant information on the return (how to send it and who to send it to, to start), package and ship the vaccines, and manage the returns/credits process. Some offices report that getting reimbursed for unused inventory can take an extremely long time—up to a year, in some cases—so you’ll also need to factor in a cash-flow cushion to absorb the opportunity cost of those unused vials.

The post Return to Sender: Unused or Expired Vaccines appeared first on VaxCare.

• Reimbursement Rate: Each payer offers different rates for reimbursement, typically based on flat fee or a percentage of the average wholesale price of vaccines. When negotiating and maintaining your contracts, be sure to take note of how your office will get reimbursed and what the rate should be.
• Fee Schedules: Fee schedules can change multiple times a year, leaving you undercharging without realizing it. Consider appointing a specific staff member to manage your fee schedules so changes are caught prior to billing.
• Coding Requirements: Some payers have very specific coding requirements when it comes to payment for vaccines. In order to cut down on denials and reimbursement management, make sure you understand if specific payers are satisfied with CPT codes alone, if they need additional NDC codes, or if they require additional information for reimbursement.

These elements are just a few contract intricacies, but keeping a handle on your reimbursement rate, fee schedules, and the individual coding requirements of each payer can go a long way in helping your office to make the most of your submitted claims.

The post What to Look for in Payer Contracts appeared first on VaxCare.

A vaccination clinic runs very differently from the day-to-day operations in your practice. Staff may have slightly different responsibilities from what they do in the office, and you also may need to bring in additional personnel (think EMTs, translators, etc). We’ve pulled together a list to help you get started, but every clinic should build their list based on their individual clinic goals, location, and other factors.

Vaccination Clinic Staff Starter List:

Source: CDC

Every Clinic Needs a Strong Core

Establishing a core team to plan and run your clinic is also key. This core team will be part of all preliminary meetings, from goal-setting to logistics, and at least a few members should be part of the day-of clinic staff.

Roles that are often involved in both planning and operations include clinic managers, nurse managers, medical directors, as well as supply managers and one-to-two vaccinators. Larger clinics may also benefit by including IT and security in planning and operations. Depending on the size and scope of your clinic, you may be able to combine some roles—but you’ll want to err on the side of more staff, not less. This is not a time to run “lean.”

To avoid hiccups, brief all team members on the overall plan and their specific roles and responsibilities well before your clinic. On the day of the event, gather the entire team for a quick touch-base to review important information, share any last-minute updates, and take questions.

Finally, be sure to send out a post-clinic recap to the entire team to share lessons and successes across the entire organization, keep staff focused on the clinic goals, and make everyone a part of your larger mission of community health and safety.

The post Building a Dream Team: Staffing Your Vaccination Clinic appeared first on VaxCare.

The purchasing group we joined never gave us the financial upside we thought we’d get

One way you can rein in your budget is to join a physician buying group (PBG) or a group purchasing organization (GPO), the latter of which is more common for hospital-based practices. These types or organizations let you join a pool of other physicians to get better prices on vaccines by buying in larger quantities. And while this idea is good in theory, it’s important to study your options carefully and read the fine print.

Here are some tips to help you make a better decision:

• Make sure to get all the details about what you can and cannot order. Competing vaccine companies will not typically be in a PBG together, so you’ll want to make sure your group provides access to your preferred vaccine stock while providing options if shortages occur. GPO purchasers aren’t limited to certain vaccine manufacturers or products, but that access comes at a price: GPO pricing models aren’t as favorable as those of PBGs.
• Do some sleuthing to compare prices between groups to make sure you are getting the bang for your buck the group is promising.
• Dig deeper with your sales rep to find out:
  • Which manufacturers are included in the program? Can I purchase outside the plan?
  • Is there a cost to join and participate? Is there a minimum contract length commitment?
  • How frequently am I allowed to order?
  • Do you allow order changes?
  • Do you offer any value-added services (e.g., payment support, vaccine administration supplies)?

PBGs and GPOs are not the answer for everyone. “The purchasing group we joined never gave us the financial upside we thought we’d get,” says Dr. Steven Shapiro, owner of Pediatric Medical Associates in East Norriton, PA. So before signing on the dotted line, do your due diligence to make sure you’re joining a group that will benefit your practice and your patients.

The post PBG or GPO?: What You Need to Know appeared first on VaxCare.

What is Immunize.org?

Immunize.org, formerly the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), is a nonprofit that has worked for more than two decades “to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for healthcare professionals and the public.” Financially supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and led by L.J Tan MS, Ph.D., Immunize.org provides a wealth of guides, tools, and resources to empower healthcare professionals at every level to have meaningful and productive interactions with patients around vaccines.

Ways to Utilize Immunize.org

Immunize.org has created a repository of information, guidance and resources to communicate with nearly every population, need, and language. Materials are created specifically with clinicians and their patients in mind, in the aim of promoting vaccine policies that are beneficial to public health. All materials are free of charge, and in printable and shareable formats. Here are a few highlights:

• Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
  Immunize.org offers a comprehensive and up-to-date database of vaccine information statements. Each of these statements outlines the basic information about a vaccine, as well as how to handle questions and reactions. VIS can be shared with patients directly or used to fuel conversations between clinicians and their patients. Moreover, Immunize.org offers these statements on 25+ vaccines in nearly 50 languages, allowing staff to communicate with nearly any patient who walks through the door.

  

• Handouts for Clinicians & Patients
  Similarly, Immunize.org has compiled a vast library of useful handouts that cover everything from screening checklists to information on managing vaccine reactions. Whether you are looking for a quick personal refresh, a guide to share with a colleague, or information to pass on to a patient, Immunize.org likely has a handout to cover it.
• Clinical & Conversational Support
  Vaccine conversations with patients can be fraught with questions, hesitancy, and conflict. Conversational guides from Immunize.org can help facilitate talks around religious concerns, alternative schedules, safety, and more—and help clinicians meet their patients where they are.
• Regular Updates Through IZ Express
  Immunize.org sends a weekly email newsletter which is an indispensable digest of vaccine updates that includes macro and micro information on vaccines, from new clinical recommendations, to important vaccine research and articles, events, global news and more. During the pandemic, their newsletters were indispensable in staying up-to-date on the changing COVID-19 vaccine landscape.

In the coming months, Immunize.Org has plans to launch a new platform for their website, making it even easier to search, find and share pieces from their repository of information. We look forward to visiting, and hope you’ll stop by—and share—as well.

The post Meet Immunize.org: Your Partner in Vaccination Resources appeared first on VaxCare.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is not rebounding fast enough from the historic low numbers that we reported last summer at the National Federation for Infection Disease’s #VaxxedforClass event alongside the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Avalere Health. Healthcare and immunization experts aren’t sitting by the sidelines. In addition to public campaigns aimed at increasing rates, they’ve also gathered new tools and tips to help doctors and nurses increase rates for their patients, ones even the busiest offices can adopt including:

• Putting a standing order in place
• Pre-registering patients
• Setting up a one-way flow for clinics
• Creating a pro-vaccine environment in your office
• How telehealth can support vaccinations
• Get many more proven tips, plus the info you need to prepare for the year ahead in our latest PDF guide, below.

Boosting Your Practice’s Vaccine Program

It’s clear that primary care can play a significant role in keeping our communities vaccinated. And despite the misinformation-fueled vaccine hesitancy that’s gripped the country as of late, patients and parents are still more likely to trust their doctor than any other source. Clinicians are therefore in the perfect position to make vaccines a routine part of every visit—even if it’s only to congratulate patients on being up to date. 

Studies show that patients are much likelier to get immunized if their physicians recommend it. So the more you talk to patients about your support of vaccines—and why you feel that way—the less pushback you’ll get. More than anything, that’s the key to keeping these preventable diseases at bay.

Here are some tips for keeping your vaccine program running smoothly in a changing landscape:

• Successful vaccine programs start at the top. Make sure everyone in your practice understands your commitment to making vaccines an important and regular part of each patient visit.
• Create a pro-vaccine atmosphere in your office with signs, information, and positive support of vaccines from every staff member. A single negative patient interaction can inspire hesitancy—or worse, a missed opportunity to protect them from vaccine-preventable illnesses.
• Appoint a dedicated “vaccine champion” in your practice if you don’t already have one. This person should know the ins and outs of your program so they’re ready to help whenever there’s an issue.
• Put a standing order in place in your practice, so any appropriately credentialed and properly trained provider can administer any ACIP-approved vaccine. This not only frees up your advanced clinical teams, but it also helps get your entire office on board.

The post Vaccine Catch-Up Is the #1 Priority appeared first on VaxCare.