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Third Party Distribution

February 2008 marked the 1 year anniversary of vaccine distribution through McKesson Specialty for Washington State. Shipping errors have been low and McKesson’s customer service division has been very helpful in addressing any distribution issues that have arisen, and delivery issues have been resolved very quickly. The move to a centralized vaccine inventory and distribution for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program at the national level is part of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) effort known as the Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project, or VMBIP.
 

Current process:

The Immunization Program CHILD Profile continues to receive orders via fax from local health departments after they have approved the provider order, and confirmed the provider demographic information. Immunization Program CHILD Profile staff enter the orders into the CDC information system, VACMAN, and process the orders the same day they are received. The CDC is processing the orders quickly, and McKesson typically receives the electronic files to initiate the picking, packing and shipping of vaccine within 1 or 2 days. This results in the average shipping time for orders of 6 – 8 business days.
 

Transition to on-line ordering:

In 2008, Local Health Jurisdictions are starting to place vaccine orders for their providers through CHILD Profile Immunization Registry. We anticipate having all vaccine orders placed on-line by LHJs by the end of 2008. In 2009, we anticipate transitioning to having private providers place their own orders through CHILD Profile Immunization Registry. LHJ staff will review and submit approved orders to DOH through the registry.  Providers can start using CHILD Profile Immunization Registry now to help promote best practices in immunization in their practice or clinic. Contact the CHILD Profile Immunization Registry Help Desk at: 1-800-325-5599 for more information.

The materials on this page provide information about how third party vaccine distribution will work in Washington State. They are intended to help local health departments and providers prepare for this change.

 

Working with McKesson: How Vaccine Distribution will Work in Washington (PDF 47kb)

Materials For Other States:

In addition to the items above, Washington has developed some materials to support programmatic operations associated with the transition to third party vaccine distribution.

Transition Planning Documents:

Planning Tools:

VACMAN Tools:

Policies and Procedures:

If you have questions about the childhood vaccine program or vaccine distribution, contact your local health department, or e-mail the Department of Health at Email VMBIP, or contact Jan Hicks-Thomson at 360-236-3578 or Jan.Hicks-Thomson.

Go to CDC's Web site for more information on the national Vaccine Management Business Improvement Project.

 

Last Update: 05/21/2009 06:18 PM