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February 2018

Reminder: It’s important for pharmacies to report patients’ vaccinations to MCIR

Pharmacies play an important role in immunizations because pharmacies are easily accessible and offer convenient locations and hours. Vaccines protect children, adolescents and adults from potentially serious vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, pertussis, meningitis, pneumonia and influenza.

Michigan’s statewide immunization registry, the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, tracks all vaccines administered in Michigan. By law, providers are required to report all immunizations administered to every person younger than age 20 within 72 hours of administration. MCIR was expanded to a lifespan registry in 2006; reporting adult vaccinations is strongly encouraged.

Reporting data to MCIR is a good public health practice because:

  • It reduces over-immunization by maintaining the patient’s immunization history.
  • It helps decrease missed opportunities for vaccination.
  • It allows for sharing immunization records between vaccine provider offices.

Under Schedule B of the BCBSM and BCN Restated & Amended Preferred Rx Participation Agreement, Blue Cross requires providers who administer vaccine products to do all of the following:

  • Complete the required immunization training.
  • Use reasonable commercial efforts to maintain and make available the provider inventory of covered vaccine products at the location the provider anticipates the eligible members may schedule their vaccine administration.
  • Provide a secured area for physical storage of drugs. This doesn’t mean that the provider will have inventory or security measures outside of the normal business setting.
  • Register all administered vaccines with the Michigan Care Improvement Registry or another organization as identified by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.
  • Require a written prescription from a licensed prescriber for all vaccine products.**

Help your pharmacy, your patients and your patients’ other providers know which vaccines the patients have received by documenting them in the Michigan Care Improvement Registry.

For more information on participating in MCIR, visit mcir.org/providers/pharmacies.***

**Blue Cross and BCN will accept standing orders from physicians.

***Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network don’t own or control this website.

No portion of this publication may be copied without the express written permission of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, except that BCBSM participating health care providers may make copies for their personal use. In no event may any portion of this publication be copied or reprinted and used for commercial purposes by any party other than BCBSM.

*CPT codes, descriptions and two-digit numeric modifiers only are copyright 2017 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and
independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.