Programs & Tools:
VFC-AFIX Quarterly
Conference Call Minutes
April 18, 2007
Vaccines for Children Program Topics:
On this page:
Grantee Roll Call
The following grantees were on the conference call:
Alaska, Arizona, D.C., Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York State, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming
Introduction of John Flynn
Updates
CoCASA
Version 3.0 will be released prior to 2008. Prioritization of the VFC Site Visit Questionnaire in 3.0. Other Change Requests will also be included in the 3.0 release.
Microsoft Vista and compatibility with CoCASA
CDC has not approved Vista for use on government computers. CDC will not develop/support applications that run on Vista operating systems.
VFC (Nancy Fenlon
VFC Management Survey
Thank you to all of our grantees for working through the difficulties and submitting the VFC Management Survey on time. We have two grantees that have not submitted their survey at this time.
Updated Q & A Document
Questions regarding the contact for storage and handling and certified thermometers were asked by grantees. The contact person for storage and handling is Sally Somerfeldt. You can reach her via email at zfe0@cdc.gov or by phone 404-639-1567.
Some grantees asked questions regarding CDC’s policy regarding the use of certified thermometers. Guidance can be found on CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/projects/faqs-doc.htm#storage
For your convenience, the narrative has been pasted below:
What is CDC’s policy regarding the use of certified thermometers and the expectation in terms of frequency of re-calibrating thermometers?
The VFC Site Visit Questionnaire requires a practice to have one certified thermometer per refrigerator or freezer compartment and requires that this thermometer be used for recording temperatures If there is not a certified thermometer at the time of the VFC site visit in any or all of the vaccine storage units, then corrective action must be taken by the office to correct the situation, and the corrective action steps must be monitored by the grantee.
In the Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit, CDC recommends the use of refrigerator and freezer thermometers that have been individually certified against an ASTM or NIST standard. Additional information about thermometers is available in the Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit at http://www2a.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/shtoolkit/default.htm
Manufacturer specifications should be followed regarding recalibration, or recertification of thermometers. The manufacturer-specified frequency of recalibration varies by make and model, with recalibration every 1-2 years being typical. This should be considered as part of the overall cost when purchasing thermometers.
Graphing thermometers with moving parts and frequent pen/paper changes are likely to become less accurate with time. Comply with the manufacturer’s recalibration schedule. Digital thermometers may also become less accurate with time; however, these are relatively inexpensive, and may be less expensive to replace than to recalibrate. Bottle-type thermometers, which have no mechanical or electronic parts, are most likely to remain accurate for extended periods, and may be less expensive to replace than to recalibrate. However, bottle-type thermometers may be rendered inaccurate if the liquid column separates.
Grantees must set their own policies regarding which types of thermometers are acceptable and their recalibration requirements. Recalibration and recertification requirements should take into account manufacturer specifications and guidelines.
When a grantee checks the accuracy of thermometers at site visits, the following should be considered:
- The frequency of site visits. If a provider is visited only once in four years, it may be some time before an inaccurate thermometer is identified. This can also make evaluation of past temperature logs difficult in the event that temperatures fall outside the recommended ranges.
- The recertification of reviewer thermometers. If these will be used as standards for comparison, they should be recertified according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule.
- The relative accuracy of thermometers. Nearly all thermometers will have some variance in accuracy (generally +/- one degree). The grantee should define the acceptable variance before recalibration or replacement is required.
Update on the VFC Operations Guide
The workgroup reviewed the last module which produced some significant changes. It will take approximately one week to make the changes and then it needs to go through an additional approval process. We are planning on having the VFC Operations Guide on the website prior to sending it out for printing due to the fact that it may take 6-8 weeks to print and we want to get it out to grantees ASAP. The VFC Operations Guide should be available sometime in June on the VFC website.
Update on the 2008 VFC Site Visit Questionnaire
As Troy mentioned, the 2008 VFC Questionnaire has undergone some major changes. These changes will take up the bulk of the programming time for CoCASA version 3.0 release scheduled for late 2007. The most significant change is the number of questions that were previously not high priority questions that will be high priority questions in 2008. These changes were necessary to reflect requirements in new VFC Operations Guide. TX and GA would like the opportunity to provide feedback and recommendations regarding revisions to the VFC Site Visit Questionnaire. Nancy will check with administration and get back with the volunteers.
AFIX (John Flynn)
2008 Grant Guidance and Achievement of Level I AFIX Standards
The new IPOM is now accessible on the web
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/ipom/default.htm
The 2008-2012 IPOM builds upon the 2003 version. The 2008-2012 IPOM is intended to be used as a core companion document to the 2008 Program Announcement that covers the five year immunization grant cycle from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012. The IPOM now has specified requirements and recommendations for each Program Component. In Chapter 4, Provide Quality Assurance, grantees need to demonstrate achievement of the Level I AFIX Standards by December 31, 2008. All Level 1 AFIX Standards will be reviewed by CDC. Grantees are encouraged to begin submitting their Level I AFIX Standards for review. For technical assistance, guidance and review, please contact John Flynn at 404-638-8820 or via email jwf5@cdc.gov.
Clinic Provider Assessment Workgroup (CPAWG).
We are in the process of reconstituting CPAWG. Further details will be announced at our next quarterly conference call scheduled for June 27, 2007.
CPAWG is a committee comprised of National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) staff and external members that develop and work on identified priority areas related to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) – Assessment, Feedback, Incentives and Exchange of Information (AFIX) initiative. The mission of CPAWG is to improve immunization service delivery in private and public provider sites through quality improvement using the AFIX strategy. The workgroup also promotes and assists in achieving the Healthy People 2010 objectives related to immunization assessment and coverage levels. CPAWG members are advisors to NCIRD in areas of assessment methodologies, software development, education, training and strategies to improve vaccine coverage levels.
Open Discussion
NYS asked if was permissible to include a requirement in their VFC provider enrollment form that requires VFC enrolled providers to participate in the AFIX process?
A section of the Provider Recruitment and Enrollment module in the soon to be released VFC Operations Guide outlines the process that the grantees can use to submit their request to the CDC to request approval to include additional requirements in their provider enrollment form. A draft copy of the Provider Recruitment and Enrollment module was sent out via an All Grantee message in February 2006 and discussed at a workshop at NIC last month in Kansas City. The section that discusses the submission process has been copied and pasted below for your information.
Process for Requesting and Approving Additional Provider Requirements for VFC Participation
- Immunization program manager submits written request to the Program Operations Branch project officer (electronic submission is acceptable) for adding a new requirement to the VFC provider enrollment agreement. The written request must include the following information:
- New requirement as it would appear on the enrollment form.
- Rationale for the new requirement including why it would strengthen or enhance the grantee’s VFC program.
- Proposed start date for the new requirement together with a written plan for implementing the new requirement for both new and existing VFC providers.
- Any potential negative impact to VFC Program.
- Project officer will forward the request to the VFC Policy Coordinator.
- On a regular basis, the VFC Policy Coordinator will review the pending requirement requests with at least the Director or Deputy Director of ISD and CDC legal counsel to approve, disapprove or request further information before making a decision on the request and communicate the decision to the project officer.
- The approval or disapproval will be communicated to the grantee by the project officer.
All grantees will be required to submit a copy of their 2008 Provider Enrollment form to the CDC for review. For grantees who would like to include additional provider requirements for VFC participation in 2008, the process outlined above should be followed. If you did not receive a draft copy of the modules discussed at NIC please e-mail Nancy at ncf1@cdc.gov.
Please mark your calendars for our next VFC/AFIX Quarterly Conference Call scheduled for June 27, 2007. The main focus of this next conference call will be a discussion focusing on the 2008 Program Announcement and the Immunization Program Operations Manual (IPOM) as they relate to VFC/AFIX activities, requirements and recommendations. Call-in information, time, and agenda will be sent out a later date.
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Content last reviewed on June 13, 2007
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases