Programs & Tools:
VFC-AFIX Quarterly
Conference Call Minutes
July 25, 2005
Vaccines for Children Program Topics:
On this page:
Participants:
CDC/NCIRD: Nancy Fenlon, Amy Kirsch, Holly Groom, Lisa Jacques-Carroll
Grantees: Attendance was not taken due to technical difficulties occurring with the phone line. However, 69 phone lines were in use during the call.
VFC/AFIX Evaluation Component of Comprehensive CASA (CoCASA)
Amy Kirsch and Holly Groom discussed the e-mail message with an attachment entitled “Understanding ’Provider type’ in the VFC Management Survey” originally sent out as a grantee message on July 5, 2005. The purpose of the e-mail was to clarify the categories of provider types requested in the VFC Management Survey. The key message is the designation of provider type should be discussed at the grantee level and a decision made at the grantee level on how to classify certain providers. The most important thing is that providers are consistently classified throughout the grantee’s area.
The AFIX project uses the provider information to generate information for the Office of Management and Budget reports (OMB) and the information is collapsed into four categories of providers: three types of public providers and private providers. When grantees are attempting to determine provider type and there does not appear to be an exact match for provider type, place the provider in the most appropriate category that is available. The “other” provider type selection available in the Co-CASA provider set-up screen should be avoided as an option if this provider is enrolled in VFC. If “other” is selected as a provider type, then that provider’s site visits are not included in the VFC-AFIX reports generated in CoCASA.
Several questions from the field regarding provider type were discussed during the call. One of the main questions about provider type involved Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and how to classify FQHCs with deputized sites or satellite sites with individual VFC numbers. The best guidance that can be provided is to review the site’s source of funding. Sites that receive funding directly from HRSA should be considered FQHCs. For more information regarding FQHCs please refer to HRSA website at: http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/ (exit)
If the website does not provide the guidance you need please discuss with your staff and agree on how individual providers will be classified by all program staff.
The e-mail with the provider type definition was sent to all program managers, AFIX and VFC Coordinators. The e-mail will be resent to all AFIX and VFC Coordinators at the conclusion of this call.
The Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project (VMBIP) and AFIX committee will meet this month to discuss methods to make provider definitions more universal throughout all CDC applications.
The patch for the VFC/AFIX Evaluation Module in CoCASA patch is on track for a September 1st release. There is a new page available on the AFIX website dedicated to the VFC/AFIX Evaluation Module and CoCASA. This page includes general information about the software as well as a link to FAQs. Currently, the majority of this information focuses on the VFC-AFIX Evaluation Module. Information on CoCASA will be added when the software is released in its entirety.
CoCASA Update
The import process in CoCASA will basically be the same as it was/is for WinCASA. The user will create an import template and use that template to import the data from an ASCII text file. The ability to import from any format other than ASCII text files will not be available at this point. The following types of ASCII files can be used to import data:
- Fixed width text file
- Delimited text file using the following delimiters: semicolon, comma, tab, other (user specified)
The text file must be in the format of one record per immunization as opposed to one record per patient. The formats for immunizations (shot type) that will be accepted for importing will include CPT/CVX/MVX codes/literal names/brand names.
Another thing that is different from WinCASA is that zip code is now a required field for patients. This means that the following are required fields:
- An identifier (either first/last name, chart number, unique ID #1, or unique ID#2)
- Date of Birth
- Zip Code
If zip code is not included in the import template, a default value such as ‘00000’will be used.
Users will be able to specify an age range (a ‘from’ date and ‘to’ date, in months or years, and an As Of date) to limit the data imported. Users will be required to indicate the provider and assessment name for the imported data.
A suggestion was made to contact the standards extract workgroup at AIRA for further discussion. Amy Kirsch has followed up with a contact in the Registry Branch and will provide an update during the next quarterly conference call.
Vaccine University Update
The Vaccine University will be held November 30 – December 2, 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia. Registration information was sent out to all program managers, VFC and AFIX coordinators several weeks ago. Approximately 180 persons had completed and faxed their registration forms into ISD. The registration for Vaccine University closes on July 31, 2005. So please make your reservations now. The training will be able to accommodate 325 participants. If the number of registered individuals exceeds the maximum 325 participants, grantees that have submitted more then three participants will be contacted through the program manager. The program manager will be asked to prioritize their staff attendance to those individuals that have oversight, orientation/training and reporting responsibilities for VFC, AFIX and Vaccine Management programs at the grantee level. Several grantees expressed concern over the fact that space in the training would be limited. At this time 146 attendance spaces are still not reserved so space does not appear to be an issue. All individuals who register will receive an e-mail confirmation of receipt of registration form within 1-2 weeks of faxing in their completed registration form.
Information will be sent out during the first two weeks of August regarding the hotel logistics. Once the agenda is completed, reviewed and approved by ISD Administration copies will be distributed to participants so travel requests can be made. The Vaccine University workgroup plans to distribute the agenda by late August or early September. The workgroup is aware that many grantees need to have an agenda to make their travel arrangements.
AFIX Standards
Nancy Fenlon reminded the grantees that AFIX Standards Level I Self Assessment Worksheet must be included with their 2006 grant application. An electronic version of the AFIX Standards Level I Self Assessment Worksheet can be downloaded from the AFIX website at: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/afix/stds-guide.htm
The link was not working correctly last week but the problem was fixed and the worksheet is now able to be downloaded in an electronic format in MS Word.
Next Call will be Wednesday, October 12, 2005.
Return to VFC-AFIX Quarterly Conference Call Minutes main page
Non-CDC Link Disclaimer: Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization web pages found at these links.
Content last reviewed on January 30, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases