OASIS-Central

In honor of  National Influenza Vaccination Week which runs 1/10 to 1/16, here are some tips about vaccine administration and billing.

• You do not need an order to administer the flu or pneumonia vaccines; however, there is no similar stipulation regarding epinephrine.

• Medicare coverage:

• Medicare Part B pays for both the vaccine and administration
• Administration costs include supplies, cost of the injection
• Vaccine costs include syringes and vaccine
• Agency cannot bill Medicare for the visit if the sole purpose was to administer a vaccine
• CMS will provide H1N1 vaccine without charge
• Follow CMS procedure for billing

Best Practices to Remember

• Check out the CMS Web site and MedQIC immunization toolkits
• Review agency policy, procedure, and protocol
• Instruct clinicians to ask all patients on admission about pneumonia vaccine and document in designated spot in the clinical record
• Homecare providers cannot use standing orders

This information was adapted from Beacon Health’s audio conference, OASIS-C: What You Must Do Now! Analysis of Redesigned OASIS-C Data Elements, presented by Diane Omdahl. This series has concluded, but on-demand audio files are available for all past sessions. Find more information about audio conferences here.

Check out our other posts on influenza and vaccinations:

Flu and Pneumonia Data Elements

How do we answer M1040 if we administer the flu vaccine, but do not supply it?

How should we develop our immunization policy around OASIS-C?