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Bi-monthly Newsletter - January 2016
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Office Closures for
January and February 2016
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All state offices will be closed on the following days:
01/18/16-Equality Day
02/15/16-
President's Day
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SAVE THE DATE:
2016 Wyoming Immunization Conference
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting the second Wyoming Immunization Conference on May 11-12, 2016 in Casper, Wyoming! This year's conference will be held at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Registration is scheduled to open March 2016. More information will be sent out as it becomes available and will also be posted to the Wyoming Immunization Program website at:
www.immunizewyoming.com. Please pass the information along to other staff and colleagues. We hope to see you there!
New Training opportunity through WYTRAIN!
Lisa Sara, Provider Support Specialist
WYTRAIN just recently added two new courses to the already extensive library of educational training courses. The newly available training courses include:
- Infectious Diseases and Immunization
- Influenza Vaccines for Adults Over 65; Evaluating the Evidence
These and many other training opportunities await you on the WYTRAIN website.
Happy Training!
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Take a Look! Selfie...THIS
CDC #VaxWithMe selfie photo campaign to promote Flu Vaccination. Click HERE to read more about it.
Wyoming Immunization Partners:
Take a look or post a selfie of your own on Twitter:
#vaxwithme
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MCV4: You're Not Done If You Give Just One; Give 2 Doses to Strengthen Protection
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) and Sanofi Pasteur have teamed up to raise awareness of the meningococcal (MCV4) booster dose and to provide tools to providers to help increase the coverage rates of the meningococcal booster dose.
The project provides healthcare providers with talking points for discussing the importance of the booster dose with patients, tools to improve coverage rates, materials to provide to patients, and more. Click here to visit the Project's website and access all of the information and resources available.
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American Academy of Family Physicians adopts new policy that supports ending non-medical vaccination exemptions - IAC Express #1210
On October 5, the American Academy of Family Physicians released a new policy that supports ending non-medical vaccination exemptions. The
policy
is reprinted below.
Immunization Exemptions
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) supports immunization of infants, children, adolescents, and adults as defined by recommendations set forth in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and approved by the AAFP. With the exception of policies which allow for refusal due to a documented allergy or medical contraindication, the AAFP does not support immunization exemption policies.
AAFP joins the American Medical Association (AMA), which adopted a similar policy at its annual meeting in June.
Links:
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The CDC has some great tools for parents to keep on track with their child's immunizations.
The Instant Childhood Immunization Scheduler can be found HERE
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Wyoming's HPV Vaccination Report
By Val Knepp, RN, Clinical & AFIX Specialist
As we work together to reach national goals for HPV vaccination, CDC recommends looking at vaccine ordering data for trends. This can show recent HPV vaccination uptake and can help target outreach activities to providers with inconsistent or lower ordering patterns. Please click
HERE
to see the current HPV Vaccination Report for Wyoming.
Statement of Safety of HPV Vaccines
By Val Knepp, RN, Clinical & AFIX Specialist
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) recently released a statement on the safety of HPV vaccines. GACVS reviewed data from a recent retrospective cohort study of over 2 million girls. Click
HERE
to read the statement.
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Vaccine Shortage of Sanofi Pasteur's Pentacel® Vaccine
By Jude Alden, MBA, CPM, Interim Unit Manager
Providers should continue to follow the recommended immunization schedule and ensure that patients receive all recommended doses of DTaP, Hib, and polio vaccine stocks.
To ensure that Public Vaccine Program providers have equitable access to Sanofi Pasteur's pertussis-containing vaccines and related products, CDC and the WY Immunization Program will be allocating all of the following vaccines: Pentacel®, DAPTACEL®, ActHIB®, and IPOL®. Orders will be adjusted to ensure equitable distribution of the allocated doses. Please order modestly and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
NCIRD Resource
:
2016 Public Vaccine Programs: Provider Enrollment
By Jude Alden, MBA, CPM, Interim Unit Manager and VFC Coordinator
As we enter 2016, it is time to start thinking about annual enrollment. All providers that currently participate in a Public Vaccine Program (VFC/WyVIP, VUA, and AHV) are required to enroll annually. Enrollment into a Public Vaccine Program is completed in two stages:
- Pre-Enrollment (January 8-25): The Practice Profile will be emailed to both Vaccine Coordinators. Only one (1) Profile must be completed and returned to the Immunization Program.
- Provider Agreement: Once the Practice Profile has been received and approved, the Provider Agreement(s) will be sent to the Responsible Physician/Practitioner listed. The Responsible Physician must then complete the agreement and submit it from his or her email account back to the Immunization Program. A separate email will be sent to the Vaccine Coordinators informing them that the Agreement has been sent and when it is due so they can follow-up with the Responsible Physician/Practitioner.
T
hese agreements are separate from the Wyoming Immunization Registry (WyIR) Agreements.
Also, as a reminder, the enrollment documents can only be completed electronically and will not be accepted if they are printed, signed, or faxed in. An email will be distributed in early January announcing the start of stage one.
The following webinars have been scheduled to assist with the enrollment process.
Please do not hesitate to contact
Aggregate Wastage Report Update
Lisa Sara, Provider Support Specialist
The Aggregate Wastage Report is now fully functional and available to all facilities!
You may be wondering...
What is
the Aggregate Wastage Report?
The Aggregate Wastage Report allows providers to quickly and easily read the total number of doses wasted for any specified date range.
How do I access the report? Simply log into the Wyoming Immunization Registry (WyIR)
- Click on the Reports menu
- Click on Reports Module
Located under Vaccine Management
- Click on Aggregate Wastage Report
How should I use this report?
This report can be used to identify areas in which waste can be prevented and practices can be adjusted. For example, if you see that your facility has a high number of wasted doses due to "drawn, but not used," you may want to take a look at your pre-drawing practices and make some adjustments.
For any additional information, please feel free to contact the Immunization Program.
Reaching Out to Homebound Patients to Prevent the Flu
by LaChel May, CPM, Compliance Specialist
Each year, an average, 5% to 20% of United States residents become ill from seasonal flu, and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications.
Most people will have mild illness; however, some individuals are at an elevated risk for developing flu-related complications, including adults 65 years of age and older, as well as, people who have certain medical conditions (e.g., weakened immune system, heart disease, chronic lung disease). A challenge to providing vaccines to many vulnerable people is being able to reach them. It is because of this and other challenges that it is important for immunization providers to actively reach out to patients, going out into communities to increase protection of vaccine preventable diseases.
We would like to recognize Midwest Community Clinic on their recent practices to do just this. A big "Thank You" to Mike Smith, Diana Ludeman and clinic staff, who utilized non-traditional vaccination strategies to improve influenza vaccination rates among homebound seniors and people with disabilities within their county by teaming up with Meals-On-Wheels!
During this joyous season, let us think about those who are seen and heard the least by not forgetting to reach out and vaccinate our homebound populations within our communities. '
Tis the Season to Vaccinate!
Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents
Kristy Westfall, Compliance Specialist
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated their Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents webpage to provide healthcare professionals with the latest and most up-to-date tools and resources to effectively talk to parents about protecting their children from vaccine-preventable disease. The CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) collaborated together to develop materials for healthcare providers and their staff about how to talk to parents. The webpage also has resources for parents to understand the benefits and risks of vaccines. Click HERE to visit the Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents webpage and to access the resources and materials.
Wyoming Receives Award for Most Improved Pneumococcal Vaccination Coverage Among Adults!
By Jude Alden, MBA, CPM, Interim Immunization Unit Manager and VFC Coordinator
We are very pleased to share Wyoming's recent recognition of Pneumococcal Vaccination Coverage Among Adults. Immunizing adults in Wyoming continues to be a challenge but with new resources emerging, the Vaccines For Uninsured (VUA) Adults Program, and the hard work of Wyoming immunization providers we are positive that we can make a big impact in 2016.
Thank you for all your hard work to ensure Wyoming adults are protected!
2015 Annual Report-Public Vaccine Programs
By Jude Alden, MBA, CPM
2015 was a busy year for immunization providers and the Immunization Unit. We applaud you for all your hard work in bringing immunity to every community.
Click here
to view the complete summary of our progress and efficiencies.
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Wyoming Immunization Registry (WyIR) Update
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John Anderson, MA, WyIR Coordinator
WyIR Enrollment
Recently, the Attorney General's office approved contracts with organizations based upon their specific organization type. Updates to the agreements include the inclusion and/or omission of clauses relevant to contracting with different organizations based on the type of the provider entering into the agreement, as well as including the WyIR Data Reporting guidelines as part of the submission requirements. Once the agreements are approved, we are obligated to begin our enrollment processes to ensure we are compliant with the most recent language recommended by the Attorney General's office.
The enrollment period for Immunization Providers, Hospital Districts, and School Nurses was initially open until 12/31/15. Due to the enrollment period occurring over the holidays when many key personnel may be away from their respective offices, the enrollment deadline has been extended to 01/20/2015. If a facility has not yet completed an agreement by the deadline, they risk losing connectivity to the WyIR. Enrollment information and guidance on completing the agreements can be located here.
The enrollment period for Internal State Agencies is open until 01/30/16. Overviews and guidance specific to unique organizational types have been emailed to the both the WyIR Contact and the WyIR Facility Contact. As the agreements and instructions vary slightly than what was previously utilized, please email the WyIR Help Desk at [email protected]
for further assistance if you have questions about the updated agreement and process.
Ann Marie Johnson
, the new WyIR Support Specialist, will be processing the agreements. As part of the process, email notifications for either the successful submission of the agreement or requests for changes to the submitted agreement will be sent as soon as the agreement has been processed. Ann Marie has provided details regarding the most common errors and frequently asked questions for the enrollment agreements and can be located in the WyIR Navigation Menu under the Main>Documents section in the WyIR after login.
WyIR - Updates on HL7 Connectivity
We are very pleased that the WyIR's software vendor, Scientific Technologies Corporation (STC), is now under contract to coordinate the onboarding process. Emails have been distributed to the WyIR Facility Contacts from STC notifying the facilities of the onboarding process and what the facility's next steps are that need to be undertaken. As a reminder, providers registered for Meaningful Use Stage 2 for Immunization Reporting who fail to respond to written requests for action within 30 days on two separate occasions, and do not proceed with the onboarding process, may not meet the Stage 2 meaningful use objective for Immunization Reporting. As part of the updated WyIR Agreement, active submission to the WyIR is required. In order to minimize the length of time providers engaged in testing will need to undergo duplicate data entry in both the WyIR and their E.H.R., we encourage active participation in the process. The requirements for "going live" indicate at least two weeks of data submission with a success rate of 95%, which can be a fairly quick process for some facilities. The assistance from STC is time limited, and we need providers to be actively engaged with the on-boarding process. Based on the outcomes STC has had in other states providing similar support, we anticipate the same success in Wyoming. If you have questions about the onboarding process or STC's role in the onboarding process, please email us at
[email protected]
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2016: WyIR Focus on Pharmacies
In July 2013, Pharmacists in Wyoming were allowed to immunize a greater percentage of the state's population, including children as young as 7 years of age (with influenza vaccine) under House Bill 94. Since the new law took effect, the following has been recorded in the WyIR by pharmacies:
● In 2013, 10 locations submitted data on 12,031 patients for 12,150 vaccinations.
● In 2014, 42 locations submitted data on 18,261 patients for 18,824 vaccinations.
● In 2015, 56 locations submitted data on 21,811 patients for 25,351 vaccinations.
Almost all of the data submissions have occurred through the selfless initiatives undertaken by pharmacists to report to the WyIR, often with minimal guidance on how to do so. Now that our software vendor, STC, has assumed the responsibilities for the HL7 interfaces, staff resources will now be utilized to provide support to pharmacies throughout Wyoming. Immunizing pharmacies should anticipate more engagement with immunizing pharmacies in the New Year, along with possible data submission alternatives to reduce duplicate data entry. If pharmacies wish to investigate options for sharing the data within their Electronic Health Record (E.H.R.) system and the WyIR, please contact the WyIR Help Desk at [email protected], or feel free to meet the WyIR Team in Cheyenne at the Wyoming Pharmacist Association meeting January 30th.
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Immunization Program Quick Links
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Our next newsletter will be released in March 2016
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WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, IMMUNIZATION UNIT
6101 Yellowstone Road, Suite 420, Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-7952 FAX: 307-777-3615
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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