Programs & Tools:
VFC-AFIX Quarterly
Conference Call Minutes
April 12, 2006
Vaccines for Children Program Topics:
On this page:
Participants:
CDC/NCIRD: Nancy Fenlon, Amy Kirsch, Lisa Jacques-Carroll, Bayo Willis, Dan Fishbein
Grantees: CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NV, NYC, NY, NC, OR, Philadelphia, RI, San Antonio, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WY
National Immunization Conference Follow-Up
During the NIC in March, Nancy and Amy hosted an AFIX/CoCASA ad hoc meeting. The primary messages from this ad hoc session were:
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In 2006, grantees should focus on achieving the Level I AFIX Standards or finalize a time-sensitive plan for achieving the Level I Standards.
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Grantees should balance the quantity of AFIX visits with the quality of visits.
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In 2006, grantees should focus on the implementation of CoCASA in their state or territory or develop a plan for how CoCASA will be implemented and supported.
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CoCASA Version 2.0 will be available this fall (2006) and the plan is to then update CoCASA once a year.
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If grantees would like to include an import template in version 2.0 of CoCASA, they need to submit their import template to the CoCASA Help Desk by May 1st. There are instructions on what information will be needed with this submission on the CoCASA website. (www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/cocasa/documentation.htm#support)
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The CoCASA Website was updated after the release of Version 1.4 in February.
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All calls and emails should be routed through the CoCASA Help Desk in order for the questions/concerns to be tracked and documented properly. (nipcocasa@cdc.gov)
Rural States Conference Call
During the January 2006 VFC/AFIX Conference Call, a Rural States Conference Call was proposed and states were asked to self-identify and participate in a Rural States Conference Call. The first call took place on Friday, March 10th and the second call occurred on Friday, April 7th. The minutes for the first call were distributed via email and the minutes from the second call are posted on the following webpage: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/projects/vfc_afix_minutes/rural_states_april06.htm
VFC Management Survey
Our annual OMB Report is due on May 15th. This report summarizes the VFC/AFIX Activities that occurred in CY2005 as reported by the grantees through the VFC Management Survey. This survey is due March 1st in order for CDC to have ample time to analyze the data, write the report and submit it through internal clearance before it goes to OMB. As a result, the timely submission of data from the grantees is critical. Grantees should evaluate their submission of the 2005 VFC management survey and if they were unable to submit the report on or before March 1, 2006, then they should change their current processes for tracking VFC/AFIX activities. This report is CDC’s opportunity to show that the funding for VFC/AFIX activities is important and making an impact. Therefore, it is extremely important that the report is complete for all grantees and that the data that is submitted by grantees are accurate.
In previous years, we have had to submit reports without information for specific grantees which is noted in the report. Again, for this reason, creating an internal daily tracking system for documenting your VFC/AFIX activities is critical and we suggest that you implement a process in 2006 as soon as possible. CoCASA’s VFC/AFIX Evaluation Module can be used for this purpose but it is not required. If you do not use CoCASA for this purpose, then please use your own system that could produce similar results.
Adolescent Activities
Bayo Willis had several questions for the grantees regarding AFIX activities focused on the adolescent population, specifically in juvenile detention centers. Oregon responded that they do receive data from Youth Correctional Facilities and have conducted AFIX activities related to the adolescent population for the past 2-3 years. Philadelphia stated that they would be interested in expanding their AFIX program to include the adolescent population; however, they would need funding to help support this effort. WY and MT both describe that they do assessments in the schools; however, because the schools are not “providers” of the immunizations, these assessments are not AFIX activities. NC mentioned they also do assessments in schools; however, they also had contract staff that conducted adolescent assessments in their FQHCs and CMHCs.
If other grantees would like to share their experiences with Bayo or are interested in helping CDC conduct or evaluate the effectiveness of adolescent AFIX activities in juvenile detention facilities, please contact Bayo via email (BWillis2@cdc.gov) or phone (404.639.5296).
Open Discussion
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OR asked a question regarding the reimbursement of the vaccine administration fee: can anything be done to change the administration fees? Nancy Fenlon indicating that more information on this issue and other VFC programmatic issues would be forthcoming. She also mentioned she would request someone from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) join us on our next quarterly conference call to address questions like this one.
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MT asked a question regarding the availability of the Missing Immunizations Report in CoCASA and the Immunization History List. CoCASA does have a Missing Immunizations Report with three options: include children that are overdue, coming due or have missed any immunizations (overdue and coming due). The Immunization History List which is a report that provides a listing of all patients and their respective immunization histories will be available when CoCASA Version 2.0 is released in the fall of 2006.
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TX and Philadelphia asked questions about the import functions in CoCASA. Amy Kirsch explained how the error log is created and the purpose of the error log as well as the availability of a list of CPT codes, CVX codes and literal names that CoCASA will accept. The CoCASA Help Desk can assist with these issues.
Next Call: Wednesday July 12, 2006 2:00 pm -3:30 pm EST
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Content last reviewed on January 30, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases