INAAP's Tdap VAC Video as Video of the Week!
posted: Friday, July 16, 2010

Tdap Immunization Project
posted: Friday, June 25, 2010

The idea of developing a music video to educate youth on this topic was conceived by INAAP member Charlene Graves, after reviewing vaccination videos available on YouTube in March of 2009.  INAAP then secured funding for this project through a competitive process for immunization grants available from the Friends of Children Fund of the AAP. The concept of the grant proposes to widely disseminate the music video and website through social networking venues as well as to health care providers and school systems.  

INAAP partnered with the Media Arts Department of Butler University in Indianapolis to produce the music video Tdap Vac and Friends Visit the Classroom.  Faculty member Patrick Hurley composed the music and lyrics and produced the music video and designed the website. The video features a newly created character – rapper Tdap Vac – as the central focus of the video and the website. Utilizing humor and parody, along with a variety of rapidly paced musical performances, the music video provides a highly entertaining method of health education.

Why Use Chirp?
posted: Friday, June 04, 2010

CHIRP is the free and innovative online system that stores and updates immunization records of both children and adults in Indiana.

Please click here to read more information on why you should use Chirp!

FDA Revises Recommendations for Rotavirus Vaccines
posted: Friday, June 04, 2010

The agency reached its decision based on a careful evaluation of information from laboratory results from the manufacturers and the FDA’s own laboratories, a thorough review of the scientific literature, and input from scientific and p

FDA Revises Recommendations for Rotavirus Vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week revised its recommendations for rotavirus vaccines for the prevention of the disease in infants and has determined that it is appropriate for clinicians and health care professionals to resume the use of Rotarix and to continue the use of RotaTeq.

ublic health experts, including members of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that convened on May 7, 2010 to discuss these vaccines.

The FDA also considered the following in its decision:

·       Both vaccines have strong safety records, including clinical trials involving tens of thousands of patients as well as clinical experience with millions of vaccine recipients.

·       The FDA has no evidence that PCV1 or PCV2 pose a safety risk in humans, and neither is known to cause infection or illness in humans.

·       The benefits of the vaccines are substantial, and include prevention of death in some parts of the world and hospitalization for severe rotavirus disease in the United States. These benefits outweigh the risk, which is theoretical.

Information for parents and caregivers is available on the web at: 
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm205547.htm

Information for health care providers is available on the web at:
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm205548.htm

2010-2011 School Immunization Requirements
posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2010

AAP Private Payer Advocacy Update
posted: Monday, October 26, 2009

1. H1N1 coding, coverage, payment resources now available

The AAP has a dedicated a Web page on the AAP home page of H1N1 resources for clinicians that is updated regularly. The site provides information on coding, coverage, payment, and practice guidance, as well as guidance for educational institutions, childcare providers, communities and states. To access the site go to:  http://www.aap.org/new/swineflu.htm#Coding

2. Kansas pediatrician successfully advocates for appropriate payment for H1N1 immunization administration

Kathy Cain, MD, FAAP and member of the AAP Private Payer Advocacy Advisory Committee (PPAAC) reports that BCBS of Kansas is making an exception to its fee schedule and will pay all network physicians the regional Medicare rate for CPT code 90470 (H1N1 immunization administration (intramuscular, intranasal), including counseling when performed).  Dr. Cain shared with the carrier the recent AAP letter urging payments to be at least 100% of the Medicare rate and BCBS of Kansas responded that it will pay the H1N1 administration at the Medicare rate which is higher than its standard rate for immunization administration.  A copy of the letter is attached for chapters and members to share with local and regional carriers.

3. CMS and CDC issue H1N1 billing guidance;  penny charge ok'd for H1N1 vaccine

In response to pediatrician's concerns raised about payer's billing guidelines for the H1N1 influenza vaccine to include a charge of $0.01, the AAP sought clarification from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) CMS and CDC have both responded by releasing a set of Questions & Answers addressing the H1N1 billing including the $0.01 charge. Although the vaccine is being provided at no charge to providers, in recognizing the nuances of billing software, CMS and CDC noted that providers will not be subject to sanctions or penalties for billing the vaccine code with a $0.01 charge.

The document is available at the CMS site at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/H1N1/Downloads/H1N1_Medicare_FFS_Emergency_QsAs.pdf   Please refer to Question H1N1-15 (Section 1, page 4).

The CDC posted the guide H1N1 Vaccine Administration Billing Q&A at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/statelocal/vaccing_billing_qa.htm  Please refer to question 13 of the document.

4. CDC clarifies statement on third party billing for H1N1 administration

At the urging of the AAP, the CDC also clarified statements regarding third party billing.  CDC posted the guide H1N1 Vaccine Administration Billing Q&A at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/statelocal/vaccing_billing_qa.htm and Question 10 confirms that private payers may be billed the agreed upon rate for H1N1 influenza vaccine administration and not limited to the regional Medicare rate if the agreed upon rate is higher.

10: May providers bill private third-party payers or insurers for H1N1 vaccine administration if the level of reimbursement provided by the private insurer is greater than the regional Medicare vaccine administration rate?

Yes. The H1N1 provider agreement states that the provider "may charge a fee for the administration of the vaccine to the patient, their health insurance plan, or other third party payer.  The administration fee cannot exceed the regional Medicare vaccine administration fee." This means that the provider may not request out-of-pocket payment from a patient that is greater than the amount that Medicare reimburses for influenza vaccine administration in that jurisdiction. "Charge" refers to collecting an out-of-pocket payment from the patient.

However, the provider agreement does not dictate the level of reimbursement for vaccine administration that is provided by an insurance plan or payer. Providers should bill payers and insurance plans at their regular agreed-upon rates, and may accept whatever level of reimbursement is provided by a plan or payer for H1N1 vaccine administration.

5. AAP News articles related to private payer advocacy issues

The following articles related to private payer advocacy issues are in the October 2009 AAP News:

AAP addressing payment for H1N1 vaccine administration

Physician payment data in Medicaid, commercial plans available by state

Report H1N1 billing issues on the AAP Hassle Factor Form

To monitor H1N1 billing and payment issues, AAP members are encouraged to submit the information on the AAP Hassle Factor Form (http://www.aap.org/moc/reimburse/hasslefactor/HassleForm.cfm). If the issue is with a clearinghouse, where you are asked to indicate the carrier, choose "Other Carrier" and clearly identify in the section below that this is a clearinghouse issue and the name of the clearinghouse. AAP staff will then analyze this data continuously over the next few weeks to identify problem areas and address the coding issues with those carriers and clearinghouses.

Amanda Peet's Public Service Announcement Videos
posted: Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sample Vaccine Policy Statement

Download the sample policy

Sample Vaccine Policy Statement
Ready for you to adapt for your practice

Use the vaccine policy statement below as is, or modify it to make it into your practice's own strong statement of support for the vital role vaccination plays in safeguarding the health of children. Your practice's clearly expressed commitment to immunization can be powerfully persuasive with parents who are hesitant to have their child vaccinated because of scientifically invalid information they have encountered on the Internet or through the news media. The statement below was developed by clinicians at All Star Pediatrics in Lionville, Pennsylvania, where it is posted in every exam room and handed to parents at their infant's one-month well-check appointment. The results have been that parents new to All Star Pediatrics know exactly where their doctors stand on immunization, and the families of established patients feel supported in the choice they've made to immunize their children.

The text of the policy statement below is available as a pdf or MS Word document at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2067.doc. You can cut and paste it to make your own vaccine policy statement

[Your practice name here] Vaccine Policy Statement

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule given are the results of years and years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

These things being said, we recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin, persuaded by his brother, was opposed to smallpox vaccine until scientific data convinced him otherwise. Tragically, he had delayed inoculating his favorite son Franky, who contracted smallpox and died at the age of 4, leaving Ben with a lifetime of guilt and remorse. Quoting Mr. Franklin's autobiography:

"In 1736, I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox... I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen."

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of underimmunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years.

Furthermore, by not vaccinating your child you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable.

We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or "breaking up the vaccines" to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers at [Your practice name here]. Such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a "Refusal to Vaccinate" acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.

Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers, nor would we recommend any such physician. Please recognize that by not vaccinating you are putting your child at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness and disability, and even death.

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Thank you for your time in reading this policy, and please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us.