Below is a letter from Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Chief Medical Officer Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, on the recent actions taken to reduce potential barriers for physicians to become COVID-19 vaccine providers.
Dear Colleagues,
As Ohio is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases, and the highly contagious Delta variant is becoming an increasing threat, ODH is asking for your continued partnership in protecting Ohio’s adults and adolescents.
Primary care physicians can play a pivotal role in increasing vaccine access, building vaccine confidence, engaging communities with lower vaccine uptake, and reaching underserved populations. As Ohio’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy has evolved to a more community-based approach, partnerships with Ohioans’ most trusted sources in healthcare are essential.
According to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, half of individuals who indicated they are taking a “wait and see” approach to COVID-19 vaccination also indicated they would be more likely to get the vaccine if it were offered during a routine medical visit. Thank you to primary care practices who have already been able to enroll as COVID-19 vaccination providers, and thank you to all physicians who have been working tirelessly to educate patients on the importance and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Your efforts have helped save lives, and will continue to save lives.
ODH understands that COVID-19 vaccination provider enrollment and requirements may seem complicated and perhaps daunting. We would like to share recent actions taken to reduce potential barriers to enrollment while continuing to adhere to federal requirements for vaccination providers:
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- Physicians can limit vaccination to their established patients only.
- Physicians are no longer required to use their vaccine supply within seven days. Physicians can set their own timetables and vaccination schedules with complete flexibility.
- Physicians now place their own orders for vaccines.
- Physicians can receive smaller vaccine shipments. ODH is using a warehouse and staff to break apart and redistribute doses in smaller packages. The Pfizer vaccine can be ordered in packages with as few as 30 doses.
- COVID-19 vaccines can be safely and correctly stored in freezer and refrigerator storage units that are monitored with a proper temperature monitoring device. Ultra-cold storage capability is not a requirement.
Physicians are urged to never miss an opportunity to vaccinate a patient, even if it means some doses in a vial will not get used. ODH has updated its Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccine Providers on Maximizing Vaccinations While Minimizing Wasted Doses. The top priority is getting more vaccine doses administered to save lives.
Requirements to become a COVID-19 vaccination provider and information about how to enroll are available on the ODH Ohio COVID-19 Provider Enrollment webpage.
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- Only one individual needs to complete the enrollment process per office site/location. This can be the office manager or another designated staff member.
- Individual healthcare providers in a combined practice do not need to enroll separately.
- Once a site is enrolled, all individual providers at the practice site who are legally authorized to administer vaccines can administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
ODH staff are available to assist providers with the enrollment process.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about enrolling as a COVID-19 vaccination provider or provider expectations, please call ODH’s Provider Call Center between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 1.844.963.4829 or email COVIDVACCINE@odh.ohio.gov.
Thank you for your efforts to help protect Ohioans and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer
Ohio Department of Health