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OPA COVID-19 Vaccines Update July 19, 2021

FDA Updates Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet
Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the revision of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine fact sheet to include information regarding the increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following vaccination. This reaction stems from an immune response to the vaccine wherein damage is caused to nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and, in some cases, paralysis. The FDA reports that there have been 100 cases reported after 12.5 million doses have been administered. 95 of these cases were severe and required hospitalizations, with one death reported. No similar side effect has been seen with the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. 

Independent Pharmacy COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives for Medicaid Patients: July 21 Survey Deadline
Independent pharmacies have two options to incentivize Medicaid patients who get their first COVID-19 shot at their pharmacy.

  1. Independent pharmacies can receive Visa gift cards directly to give to patients. Pharmacies that have already ordered these gift cards should receive them by the end of this week. If you are an independent pharmacy vaccinator, please fill out this COVID-19 Medicaid Patient Incentive Survey to provide the number of gift cards needed for 30 days by the close of business on Wednesday, 7/21. Thank you to those who have already responded with the projected numbers of gift cards needed.
  2. Pharmacies that cannot use Visa gift cards can also share an incentive flyer created specifically for Medicaid patients to receive a gift card online. Please print and share the COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Medicaid Flyer with your patients.
    1. Independent pharmacies that receive COVID-19 vaccine gift cards for Medicaid patients will be required to track the gift cards along with patient vaccine administration information to the patient’s corresponding managed care program. Send these reports to each corresponding managed care program securely every Monday by the close of business. Please include the following information:
  • 12 Digit Gift Card Number
  • Member ID
  • Patient Last Name
  • Patient First Name
  • Address
  • Date of Service
  • Date of Birth
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Brand
  • Managed Care Plan

Please ensure that the gift card tracker documents have patient information specific to each managed care plan and that the information is sent securely via email to protect patient data. Vaccinators can use this COVID-19 Vaccine Gift Card Tracker Example.

Helpful State Vaccine Resources and Information
The following resources are helpful for vaccinators to contact ODH regarding vaccine shipments:

  • COVID Vaccine Provider Call Center: 1-844-963-4829 (The ODH Provider Call Center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and is no longer open on weekends)
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Resources website
  • ImpactSIIS Job Aids and Videos
  • ImpactSIIS help desk: email impact@odh.ohio.gov for assistance or call 1-866-349-0002.
  • Medicaid Managed Care Plan Provider Services Numbers:
    • Buckeye Health Plan: 866-296-8731
    • CareSource: 800-488-0134
    • Molina Healthcare: 855-322-4079
    • Paramount Advantage: 800-891-2542
    • United Healthcare: 800-600-9007

   OPA is working diligently to facilitate communication between state decision-makers and member pharmacists. OPA has created multiple COVID-19 resources, including a COVID-19 Vaccine Information Webpage, COVID-19 Testing Hub, and COVID-19 Resources Webpage, on the OPA website www.ohiopharmacists.org under the Resources drop-down box. For further questions, please contact Myriam Shaw Ojeda, Fellow in Policy and Innovation, at  mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org.

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