What's New

Upcoming Immunization Initiative Advisory Committee Meetings

The next meeting Date: Monday September 15, 2008 at 6:30pm

All Immunization Initiative meetings are held at the Massachusetts Medical Society:
    Waltham Woods Corporate Center
    860 Winter Street
    Waltham, MA  02454

If you wish to join the Advisory Committee contact Hadassa Kubat by phone: (781) 895-9850, or e-mail: hkubat@mms.org


The 13th Annual MIAP Conference
The Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, Marlborough, MA
October 2, 2008
9:00am – 4:00pm

CONFERENCE TOPICS WILL INCLUDE National and Local Immunization Updates; Flu Vaccine Recommendations; Disease Surveillance; Vaccine Safety; International Incidence of Disease and More!

Keynote Speakers:
William Atkinson, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,The National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

Susan Lett, MD, MPH Nedical Director, MDPH Immunization Program
Ronald Adler, MD Medical Director, Hahneman Family Health Center, Worcester

Download:Conference Program and Registration Form

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The 2008 Annual Survey of Massachusetts Health Plans on their Immunization Benefit Policies and Reimbursements for Vaccines
Each year the Immunization Initiative conducts a survey of Massachusetts Health Plans about their reimbursement policies for privately purchased vaccines which are not provided by the MDPH. This year's survey included the following questions:
1. Does your plan reimburse Providers for all the ACIP recommended vaccine products when these are not supplied by MDPH? Please list all the sections of your plan for which your response does not apply.
2. Does your plan reimburse providers for the actual acquisition cost of vaccines?
3. Does your plan reimburse for more or less than the private sector published vaccine products prices? (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm)
4. What is the billing procedure for vaccine products?
5. Does your health plan pay for the administration of vaccines? (CPT codes 90465-68 and 90471-73)
6. Are immunizations, vaccine products and/or administration included in the deductibles? Please list the sections of your plan for which your response applies.
7. Does the information provided in your responses apply to the subsidized Commonwealth Care Connector plans?
The responses were tabulated in two files, which are available by clicking on:
Massachusetts Health Plans' Immunization Reimbursement Policies - Summary of Responses 2008

and on
Massachusetts Health Plans' Reimbursement for Vaccines - Summary of Responses January 2008

Posted on February 25 2008

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Tdap and varicella vaccines
State-supplied MCV4, Tdap and varicella vaccines are now available for the catch-up only of VFC eligible children and adolescents. Due to these changes, providers will need to privately purchase MCV4, Tdap and varicella vaccines to catch-up their non-VFC eligible population. To see the updated list of all the recommended vaccines that are provided by the MDPH, click on: Vaccine Availability Table, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Immunization Program.Vaccine Availability Table, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Immunization Program.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine remains available only for VFC-eligible females

Posted on December 17 2007

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Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) will discontinue distribution of paper copies of Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
For additional Information read the MDPH Memo: "Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)" "Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)"
For more information on specific VIS requirements set forth in the NCVIA, please see the document:"Vaccine Information Statements: An Important Tool in Vaccine Risk Benefit Communication", on the MDPH web page at http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/epii/imm/imm.htm.

Posted on December 17, 2007
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NEW Multiple Vaccines VIS
A multi-vaccine VIS has been added to the NCIRD website, and may be downloaded now at:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-multi.pdf
This VIS may be used as an optional substitute for any or all of the routine birth-6 month vaccine VISs. (DTaP, IPV, Hib, PCV, Hepatitis B, and Rotavirus) See VIS News. It is an optional alternative to the individual VISs, which, of course, may still be used.

Posted on February 1, 2008
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National Recall of Haemophilus Influenzae (Hib) -
Interim recommendations on vaccine usage

The MDPH, which universally supplies all of the childhood vaccines, provides the Sanofi Pastuer’s ActHIB® Hib vaccine product. The MDPH does not supply Pedvax HIB® or COMVAX®, the two vaccines, affected by the National Recall.
However, this recall has resulted in a national shortage of Hib vaccine, and this shortage does impact Massachusetts.
For detailed Interim Recommendation from the MDPH and from the ACIP, and for additional information click on: National Shortage of Haemophilus influenzae Type B (Hib) Vaccine - Interim Recommendation to Defer the 4th Dose of Hib vaccine Except in High Risk Individuals.

Posted on December 21, 2007
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Influenza Vaccine

Links to Influenza Vaccination Recommendations
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Flu Web Site
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Influenza Web Site, MDPH
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/cdc/epii/flu/flu1.htm

Model Standing Orders - Influenza Vaccine, MDPH
Inactivated: http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/mso/inactivated_flu.pdf

Live Attenuated: http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/mso/laiv_flumist.pdf

Influenza vaccine available for (private) purchase
A website sponsored by the National Influenza Vaccine Summit and hosted by the American Medical Association (AMA) lists vaccine distributors, their contact information and the type of influenza vaccine they have available. http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/ivats_07_08.xls

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Archived Presentations from:

The Twelfth Annual Massachusetts Immunization Action Partnership Skills Building Conference, October 2, 2007

Slides available as downloadable Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files
To download click on the presentation's title

What's New? National Immunization Update
William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH
Medical Epidemiologist, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC

Massachusetts Immunization Update
Susan M. Lett, MD, MPH
Medical Director, MDPH Immunization Program

Vaccine Preventable Disease Epidemiology
Stephanie L. Schauer, PhD
VPD Epidemiology Coordinator, MDPH Immunization Program

The Evolution of Vaccine Ordering and Distribution in Massachusetts
Robert W. Morrison
Vaccine Manager, MDPH Immunization Program

The Ever-changing Schedule - Challenges and Case Studies
Ronald C. Samuels, MD, MPH
Associate Director of Ambulatory Care, Children's Hospital, Boston

Adolescent Immunizations - Teen Vaccines!
Katherine K. Hsu, MD, MPH
Medical Director, MDPH STD Program

Addressing Parents' Concerns about Vaccines
Sean Palfrey, MD
Director, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Immunization Initiative


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MCAAP Position Paper on Universal Vaccination for Children in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote a policy paper urging the Commonwealth legislature to support the funding of all ACIP & AAP recommended vaccines, and to maintain universal immunization for all children in our state. Please print this document and share it widely with your colleagues, parents and all who care about health of children. Click on the title: MCAAP Position Paper on Universal Vaccination for Children in Massachusetts and open a printer friendly PDF file.

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2007 Childhood & Adolescent Immunization Schedules in various formats including downloadable immunization schedules into handhelds are posted on the NIP Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/child-schedule.htm

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Pediatric Immunization Administration CPT Codes

Link to the list of: Commonly Administered Pediatric Vaccines/Toxoids and Immune Globulins (2007) on the AAP website

Effective January 1, 2005 four new pediatric specific immunization administration codes are reportable when the patient is under 8 years of age and the physician performs the vaccine related consulting.

Implementing the New Vaccine Administration Codes by Massachusetts’ Health Care Organizations
Most but not all plans incorporated the new codes into their billing systems, and are reimbursing on these codes.
Click here to view detailed information and the responses of each of the surveyed plans.

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