Posts Tagged ‘swine flu’

Nearly a million doses of H1N1 vaccine for infants and toddlers (ages 6 months – 3 years) were recalled on Tuesday. The vaccine reportedly lost strength since its distribution throughout the country last month. The vaccine was strong when the shots were originally shipped, according to the manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur; however, tests done weeks later revealed the potency had fallen about 12 percent below the government standard.

By now, most of the shipment has already been used, but doctors are asked to return any unused doses.

Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Sanofi Pasteur say the strength of the vaccine is still high enough to protect children who received it. Parents can rest assured that already injected vaccine dosages are safe and effective, according to Dr. Anne Schuchat, a  CDC flu expert.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of CSL Limited’s 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to include children ages 6 months and older. The vaccine was previously approved only for use in adults, ages 18 years and older. The expanded approval also covers the Australian company’s seasonal flu vaccine.

The vaccines will be available in single-dose, preservative-free, pre-filled syringes, and multi-dose vials.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Oct. 23, in response to a request from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational antiviral drug peramivir intravenous (IV) in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital.

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If you’re confused about carrier rules for coding H1N1 vaccines, you’re not alone. Choosing H1N1 codes  in regard to Medicare and private insurance guidelines, and when to use a modifier can leave you dumbfounded. To answer your H1N1 questions, here’s the low-down on Medicare policies vs. private insurer policies.

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About 600,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine were delivered Oct. 6 to the 25 states that placed initial orders, according to an Oct. 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) press conference, but two of the at-risk groups who need the vaccine most won’t be able to receive it.

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The Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine is expected to ship mid-October. Will your billing staff be ready for the influx of claims once your physicians’ office begins administering the vaccine?

Medicare Part B will pay for the administration of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine. Read more »

Two new Level II HCPCS codes were added to the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Database (MPFSDB) in the October update. Effective Sept. 1, report code G9142 Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine, any route of administration to describe the H1N1 vaccine itself, and G9141 Influenza A (H1N1) immunization administration (includes the physician counseling the patient/family to describe the administration of the H1N1 vaccine.

Providers should report one unit of G9141 for each administration of the H1N1 vaccine. Read more »

Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a joint news conference Aug. 19 to announce new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance for businesses to prepare for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

Actions Employers Should Take Now

Emphasis was made on businesses implementing a flexible work policy that permitted employees to stay home if they or family members became ill or were exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

DOC Secretary Locke said at the conference, “Some businesses now require workers to provide doctors’ notes or other paperwork to prove that they or their love ones had to miss work because of illness. That’s a requirement that employers should consider dropping.” Such a requirement, Secretary Locke reasoned, would put too much of a burden on health care facilities at a time when they will be operating at full capacity.

Businesses would do well to align with local health departments in adopting common sense policies, federal officials said, such as instructing employees to wash hands frequently and cover coughs. Employers should also encourage employees to receive the flu vaccine and, when available, the H1N1 vaccine. Somewhere between 45 million and 52 million doses of H1N1 vaccine are expected to be available by mid-October, according to an Aug. 21 CDC press briefing.

“Let’s not just play ‘wait and see.’ Let’s be proactive,” said DHS Secretary Napolitano.

Recommended Action Steps under Current Flu Conditions

While it is important for businesses to look after employees, they should also implement certain steps for self preservation. In particular, the CDC recommends businesses prepare for increased numbers of employee absences due to illness, or closure of schools and childcare programs, and plan ways for essential business functions to continue. Recommendations include cross training employees and implementing a work-from-home policy.

Under Conditions with Increased Severity

In the event that conditions worsen, employers should consider active screening of employees who report to work. Other things businesses can do to limit exposure include disinfecting common surfaces, increasing social distancing, and canceling non-essential travel and meetings.

New CDC H1N1 guidance for colleges, universities, and institutions of higher education was also released Aug. 20.

Health care workers can find a plethora of information regarding flu preparedness, such as the CDC planning guide “10 Steps You Can Take: Actions for Novel H1N1 Influenza Planning and Response for Medical Offices and Outpatient Facilities,” available on the Flu.gov Web site.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued July 24 an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) diagnostic test for the detection of H1N1 influenza virus. This is the third EUA test the FDA has released this year since declaring H1N1 a pandemic in April.

The EUA allows Focus Diagnostics to distribute the unapproved Influenza H1N1 (2009) Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) diagnostic test to laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) to perform high complexity tests not typically performed in a doctor’s office.

Tests of this nature are intended for use in the detection of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus in patients with respiratory infection symptoms. The Focus Diagnostics test amplifies the viral genetic material obtained from nose or throat swabs, or from nasal discharges.

For more information, read FDA’s Guidance on Emergency Use Authorization of Medical Products.

During a summit held July 9 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said a vaccine should be ready by mid-October for those at high-risk for contracting the Influenza A (H1N1) virus (AMNews, July 20).

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