COVID-19 vaccine rollout – Accelerated Site Activation and mRNA Vaccinations (July 2021 Onwards)
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Novavax: The first round of pharmacies that participated in the most recent EOI have now been approved to begin administering Novavax COVID-19 vaccines with initial stock deliveries beginning from 25 February 2022 onwards. If your pharmacy is currently approved to administer mRNA vaccinations and has not yet completed a Novavax EOI and would like to participate, please contact the support centre at support@ppaonline.com.au
Moderna 6-11 Years: Participating pharmacies have been approved to begin administering Moderna as a primary course of COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 6 to 11 years from 24 February 2022. Additional information has now been provided and can be found in the Paediatric Vaccine Administration section of this page.
On this page pharmacists can find information relating to the CVCP Program, that will assist in both initial registration and continued participation in the Program.
This section provides an overview of recent correspondence from the PPA regarding the CVCP Program.
31 March 2022- Wastage Reporting Update | CVAS Enhancements for Additional Orders
12 January 2022 – Packaging and Use By Dates – Defrost Use By Dates – Vaccine training
19 January 2022 – Booster Update – Moderna Allocation Increase
3 December 2021 – Additional Dose available in Portal
10 December 2021 – ATAGI Advice about Pfizer 5-11 years vaccine (orange top) | Placing Orders
13 December 2021 – Moderna Booster – Intervals for Boosters – VCF Update
23 December 2021 – Booster Dose Fee Increase | PPE Available to Pharmacies
24 December 2021 – Important Updates from ATAGI and National Covid Taskforce
1 November 2021 – VCF Pharmacies with no Booking Links Survey
5 November 2021 – Pfizer, Incentive Payments, Fees and VCF updates
8 November 2021 – Reminder to check patient eligibility prior to each vaccination
16 November 2021 – Checking Vaccine Expiry Immediately Prior to Administration
22 November 2021 – VCF Pfizer bookings and booking provider changes
24 November 2021 – Managing multiple COVID-19 Vaccines
The CVCP Program is a temporary program, which aims to support and protect members of our community from novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by providing a fee for service payable to Australian pharmacies for administering the COVID 19 vaccine.
Eligible patients will be able to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations from pharmacies selected for participation in the program.
A Children Vaccine Administration Checklist has been developed to help avoid vaccine administration errors in children. Service Providers may view a copy of the checklist here.
Participating pharmacies were approved to begin administering Pfizer 5-11 years COVID-19 vaccines (orange top) from 10 January 2022. The vaccine schedule for children is 2 doses, given 8 weeks apart. This interval can be shortened in special circumstances to a minimum of 3 weeks. Further information regarding TGA Approval for the vaccine can be found here.
Pharmacies are reminded that:
ATAGI has released a statement and has recommended that Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can be used as a primary course of COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 6 to 11 years old.
From 24 February 2022, participating pharmacies can administer Moderna vaccine to 6 to 11 years old.
Importantly:
Note:
The Service Provider must obtain appropriate written or verbal consent from the Patient’s parent or guardian prior to providing the Service. For further information regarding valid consent, including how to obtain consent in special populations, refer to the section ‘Preparing for vaccination: Valid consent’ in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Consent forms for the Pfizer 5-11 vaccines are available on the Department of Health’s website.
Service Providers must submit their paediatric vaccine administration claims online via the PPA Portal. Claims are to be submitted in the same format as existing adult vaccination services and will be paid at the current dose administration rate; outlined in the Registration, Claiming and Payments section on this page.
New eligible Section 90 pharmacies must submit an Online Form expressing their interest in administering mRNA and AstraZeneca vaccines. An Online Form may be requested by contacting the PPA Support Centre at: support@ppaonline.com.au. Pharmacy details will then be forwarded to the Taskforce for approval. Once approved by the Taskforce, the PPA will provide the pharmacy with additional onboarding information.
To be eligible to become an Approved Service Provider under this temporary program, a Pharmacy must:
An Approved Service Provider must notify the PPA immediately when it becomes aware of any circumstance, event or fact that may affect the Service Provider’s eligibility to participate in the Program.
As each site is approved by the Taskforce, the PPA will send pharmacies an onboarding email which contain the following onboarding packs, as well as their site specific CVCP Program Approval Code required to register for the CVCP Program on the PPA Portal. Pharmacies should not register for the CVCP Program in the PPA Portal until they have been sent their onboarding email from the PPA. Additional information on how to register in the PPA Portal can be found in the CVCP user guide located in the Program Rules and other Downloads section of this page.
The onboarding packs are separated into three specific sections, with an additional vaccine summary poster provided by the Taskforce for quick reference.
Part One of the onboarding packs contains information and advice specific to the administration of the AstraZeneca and mRNA vaccines in a community pharmacy. This section includes details on registering and ordering through the COVID-19 Vaccine Administration System (CVAS), training requirements and program key contacts.
Pharmacy onboarding pack part 1
Part Two of the onboarding packs contains several checklists provided by the Taskforce to help pharmacies with the day-to-day operation of the vaccination service in accordance with ATAGI best practice guidelines and Commonwealth Department of Health reporting requirements.
Pharmacy onboarding pack part 2
Part Three of the onboarding packs has been developed by the Taskforce as a Pharmacist Immunisers Communication Kit featuring resources such as:
Pharmacy onboarding pack part 3
As mentioned above, the Information Summary Poster provides key differences between each COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia in an easily accessible format.
Pharmacy onboarding pack – information summary poster
The ATAGI Recommended Doses and Vaccines Poster provides information to pharmacists regarding recommended doses and vaccine types for Australian patients.
Pharmacies must notify the PPA of their intention to deliver vaccinations off-site from the pharmacy premises. This will enable the pharmacy to administer vaccines to any eligible patient cohort in any eligible location (refer to requirements below) and notification must only be made once.
In order to do so, pharmacies must initially email the PPA at support@ppaonline.com.au and include:
Pharmacies may conduct off-site vaccinations if they meet the eligibility requirements defined in the CVCP Program Rules and both the pharmacy and the off-site vaccination location are in State/s and/or Territory/s which have appropriate regulatory arrangements that allow pharmacists to vaccinate off-site. Pharmacies must ensure they are aware of and adhere to the relevant requirements of the relevant State /Territory. It is the pharmacy’s responsibility to check these requirements are met before requesting approval from the PPA.
The Service Provider must obtain appropriate written or verbal consent from the Patient or the Patient’s carer prior to providing the Service. For further information regarding valid consent, including how to obtain consent in special populations (i.e. children or people with impaired decision making ability), refer to the section ‘Preparing for vaccination: Valid consent’ in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Consent forms are available on the Department of Health’s website.
Patients who meet all other Commonwealth and State/Territory eligibility criteria but who either do not hold a Medicare/DVA card or are not eligible to hold a Medicare/DVA card, can receive a vaccination in a Community Pharmacy free of charge. Pharmacies must ensure they first seek confirmation from the patient that the patient does not hold, or is ineligible to hold a Medicare/DVA card and use the ‘Urgent Clinical Need’ special Medicare number (25437529911) when submitting a claim in the PPA Portal for administering vaccinations to these patients.
The ’Urgent Clinical Need’ Medicare number should not be used for manual reporting to the AIR. Please note some professional services software packages that integrate with both AIR and the PPA Portal may be set up in such a way that the ‘Urgent Clinical Need’ number must still be entered into the software for PPA claiming purposes. In these instances, the software is built to ensure the number is not reported to AIR.
To register as a CVCP Service Provider, a Community Pharmacy must register for the CVCP Program via the PPA Portal. If a Community Pharmacy has not been notified by the PPA of their suitability and subsequent selection for the Program, the application to register for the CVCP Program will not be approved.
A user guide to assist you to register is located in the Program Rules and other Downloads section of this page.
It is the responsibility of the Main Authorised Person of the Approved Service Provider to ensure that the Pharmacy’s registration is up to date at all times. Approved Service Providers must notify the Pharmacy Programs Administrator within 14 days of the following changes:
If either of these have occurred since the EOI was submitted, a further declaration will be required to confirm the new Section 90 pharmacy approval details meet, at a minimum, the same EOI requirements that were confirmed to be met, as per the original EOI submission.
Service Providers must submit vaccine administration claims online via the PPA Portal.
CVCP Services delivered under the Program must be claimed by the end of the following calendar month following provision of the Service (e.g. services provided in May should be claimed by 30 June). Claims that are outside this timeframe, that are incomplete, or that do not meet Program Rules cannot be submitted and will not be paid.
All information entered in the Claim must be correct as any inconsistencies may prevent claim submission.
The following information must be provided to the PPA in order to lodge a claim for a vaccine service:
If the Patient is presenting for the second vaccination and has received the first vaccination elsewhere, this must also be noted by selecting the claim type 2nd Dose (where the first administration was undertaken by a different Service Provider).
3rd Dose vaccinations and Booster doses can be claimed by selecting the claim type Additional Dose.
The following information must be retained by the Service Provider for seven years to support any claim for payment made under these Program Rules:
Approved Service Providers can claim the following payments under the Program for vaccines administered from 23 December 2021. These fees are GST Exempt.
The payments listed below are applicable for Pfizer 5-11 vaccinations and all vaccinations currently approved under the Program for patients 12+ years of age.
Description | MM*1 Fee | MM2-7 Fee |
First administration | $16 | $19 |
Second administration (where the first administration was undertaken by the same Service Provider) | $26 | $29 |
Second administration (where the first administration was undertaken by a different Service Provider) | $16 | $19 |
Additional Dose (includes third doses for severely immunocompromised patients and booster doses) | $26 | $29 |
*Modified Monash (MM)
Approved Service Providers can claim the following payments under the Program for vaccines administered before 23 December 2021. These fees are GST Exempt.
Description | MM*1 Fee | MM2-7 Fee |
First administration | $16 | $19 |
Second administration (where the first administration was undertaken by the same Service Provider) | $26 | $29 |
Second administration (where the first administration was undertaken by a different Service Provider) | $16 | $19 |
Additional Dose (includes third doses for severely immunocompromised patients and booster doses) | $16 | $19 |
*Modified Monash (MM)
Service Providers cannot apply any additional Patient charge for a service. This includes Patients who do not hold or are ineligible to hold a Medicare card.
Fees cannot be charged for residents, workers or facilities for providing off-site vaccinations.
From 8 November 2021, approved Service Providers can claim two types of vaccination incentive payments under the Program. Pharmacies can lodge claims for incentive payments by navigating to the CVCP Program page in the PPA Portal and following the instructions at the top of the View Claims tab. A User Guide which includes details on what information is required to lodge off-site claims is available on this page.
Vaccination incentive payments will be made monthly in arrears and are GST Exempt.
Pharmacies claiming vaccination incentive payments still need to ensure they are separately claiming their vaccine administration fees as per the process above.
Site Visit payments of:
Site visit payments must be claimed by the end of the following calendar month following the site visit. Claims that are outside this timeframe, that are incomplete, or that do not meet Program Rules may not be paid.
Residential Care Incentive payments of:
Please note: vaccinations provided to residents of residential aged care and disability care facilities are not eligible to be counted toward the 50 vaccines required for the initial $1000 payment.
Residential care incentive payments for the initial $1000 payment should be claimed by the end of the calendar month following provision of the 50th eligible vaccination.
Subsequent claims for additional workers and residents may be submitted individually or compiled in one claim form and submitted as a bulk claim however these should be submitted by the end of the next calendar month following each service listed in the claim form.
Approved Service Providers must retain all records for seven years to demonstrate that they have complied with the General Terms and these Program Rules when providing and claiming for a CVCP Service.
Approved Service Providers may be subject to audits by the Australian Government and the PPA to ensure Services are provided in accordance with the General Terms and these Program Rules.
Approved Service Providers that do not provide Services in accordance with the General Terms and these Program Rules may no longer be able to participate in the Program or be eligible to receive Program payments and repayment may be required. Under section 137.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995, giving false and misleading information is a serious offence.
If an audit is to be conducted, Service Providers will be required to produce documentation within a specified timeframe.
The Pharmacy Programs Administrator is responsible for monitoring and compliance related activities including tip-offs for the COVID -19 Vaccination in Community Pharmacy Program. These activities relate to Program claims which are inaccurate, inappropriate or are not in accordance with the relevant Program Rules (i.e., are ineligible).
Service Providers and consumers should contact Services Australia on 13 15 24 if you suspect or know of a member of the public (not a health provider) who has a false COVID-19 vaccination certificate or is creating false COVID-19 vaccination certificates for themselves or others. Any tip-offs regarding identify fraud must be sent to the relevant state police and not reported to the PPA. A detailed breakdown of potential reporting situations can be found at https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/medicare-compliance/reporting-incorrect-billing-claiming-or-suspected-fraud
Further details on PPA Compliance activities can be found at https://www.ppaonline.com.au/compliance
Please note: The Children Vaccine Administration Checklist has been developed to help avoid vaccine administration errors in children. Service Providers may view a copy of the checklist here.
Please see the link to the Frequent Asked Questions regarding the CVCP Program.
As new information becomes available these FAQs may be updated, please regularly review this document if you have any questions.
This section includes additional resources provided by the Taskforce to support community pharmacies in their critical role as vaccine providers in the community and encourage all vaccine providers to familiarise themselves with the range of material available to inform their awareness around safety information.
If there is a particular resource, poster, or guideline that you would like to see made available please provide your feedback to PCRpharmacy@health.gov.au
Safety Information
Booster Information
Other General Information
Additional promotional material can be found in Onboarding Pack – Part 3.
Contact the Vaccine Operations Centre between 7am to 10pm (AEST) at COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@health.gov.au or on 1800 318 208
Contact the National coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccine helpline on covidvaccineenquiries@health.gov.au or 1800 020 080.
Contact the PPA Support Centre, between 9am to 8pm (AEST), Monday to Friday on support@ppaonline.com.au or 1800 951 285.
VCF Connect has been designed to enable you to self-manage the information published about your services in the Vaccine Clinic Finder.
You can ask any questions about the VCF Connect by contacting: CV19.Products@health.gov.au or 1800 316 375
If you wish to withdraw from the COVID-19 Vaccination in Community Pharmacy (CVCP) Program please contact the PPA Support Centre between 9am to 8pm (AEST), Monday to Friday on support@ppaonline.com.au or 1800 951 285.