Renew Your Provider Agreement Today

If your clinic is located in one of the counties below, your provider agreement is expired and needs to be renewed in order to stay enrolled in the Childhood Vaccine Program and continue to order vaccines.

The remaining counties enrolled in the Childhood Vaccine Program have provider agreements that will expire on April 30th. If you have not yet renewed your agreement for the Childhood Vaccine Program for 2023, please do so today! So far, 50% of providers enrolled in the program have an approved agreement for 2023. Please log into the IIS and check your provider agreement for any needed updates or to start your renewal today. Without an approved 2023 Provider Agreement, your clinic can't order vaccine. Use the resources below to assist you.

Resources:

• Provider Agreement Renewal Schedule
• Provider Agreement Renewal Guide
• Provider Agreement Renewal FAQ
• Provider Agreement Renewal Webinar Recording

CVP Training Series on April 20th

Join us Thursday, April 20th, 2023 for the next session in the CVP Training Series. This session will give an overview of vaccine choice and review the vaccine ordering process. Vaccine choice is the window of time twice per year when a provider has the opportunity to switch their preferred vaccine brands in their order set. Our Immunization Nurse Consultant will also cover new vaccines recently approved, considerations for using these vaccines in your practice, and share available clinical resources. Please join us to learn more!

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023

Time: 12:00 pm (noon)

Intended Audience: Providers and Vaccine Coordinators

• Join the Training Session
• Meeting ID: 870 6358 7970 
• Passcode: 475622

National Infant Immunization Week Starts April 24th

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) starts on April 24, 2023. NIIW highlights the importance of protecting infants and young children from vaccine-preventable diseases. It can be a great time to remind families about wellness visits and routine immunizations.

As part of this year’s campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed some resources for health professionals to share for NIIW. Find messaging, graphics, newsletter announcements, and posters on their NIIW Promotional Materials page. Resources can be found in English and Spanish.

Rotarix Description Clarification

When GSK’s new oral dosing applicator presentation of Rotarix became available it was issued a new NDC. 

To differentiate between NDCs in the IIS, the word ‘Old’ was added to the description of the previous Rotarix NDC 58160-0854-52.

This vaccine is still viable to use through its expiration date on the packaging. It is not an indication that the vaccine is not good/viable.

Feel free to continue to use any of this vaccine on hand through the expiration date.

We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

2022 Year End Data Report

The 2022 year end data report was sent out on the 29^th of March to contacts in the Childhood Vaccine Program provider agreement. If you did not receive a copy of it and need a copy, please let us know.

Immunization Webinars with Continuing Education

• CDC recently hosted the Updates on the 2023 Child/Adolescent and Adult Immunization Schedules webinar. A recording and continuing education is available.
• The Department of Health is hosting the Strategies to Increase Immunization Rates Webinar on April 19, 2023. Continuing Education (CE) credit is available for physicians, nurses, medical assistants, and pharmacists/pharmacy technicians. The webinar will be recorded and CEs are available for watching the recording.

Immunize.org updates “DTaP, Tdap, and Td Catch-Up Vaccination Recommendations by Prior Vaccine History and Age”

Immunize​.org recently revised its helpful resource DTaP, Tdap, and Td Catch-Up Vaccination Recommendations by Prior Vaccine History and Age. Additional vaccine catch-up resources from CDC are also available.

Tools for addressing pain and fear of needles during vaccinations

The Vaccine Education Center staff recently discussed pain and fear of needles during vaccinations in their monthly Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers. The article includes information from a literature review as well as two webinars addressing how to improve the vaccination experience, which can be found on Immunize.org’s homepage.

MMR and Varicella Merck Products May Be Administered IM or Subcutaneous

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the intramuscular (IM) administration of Merck’s M-M-R II_I, VARIVAX, and ProQuad. IM administration is an option in addition to subcutaneous administration for these Merck products. No recommendation is needed from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and providers can start administering these vaccines at this time. The WA Immunization Information System (WAIIS) will accept documentation of IM administration and will count this route of administration as valid. Please note that the subcutaneous route remains the only approved route for Priorix, MMR vaccine from GSK.

Immunize.org has updated clinic resources:

• Standing Orders for Administering Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine to Children and Teens
• Standing Orders for Administering Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine to Adults
• Standing Orders for Administering Varicella Vaccine to Children and Teens
• Standing Orders for Administering Varicella Vaccine to Adults
• Administration by the Intramuscular (IM) Route

For questions about the immunization schedule, the Immunization Information System forecast, or any other immunization clinical questions, please send an email to ImmuneNurses@doh.wa.gov. Check out the Immunization Training web page for more resources and training opportunities.