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. 2024 Sep 17;42 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):125667.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.01.092. Epub 2024 Feb 1.

Advancing public health informatics during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from a public-private partnership with pharmacies

Nkenge Jones-Jack  1 , Roua El Kalach  2 , Diana Yassanye  2 , Ruth Link-Gelles  2 , Abdulhakeem Olorukooba  2 , Amee Khamar deMartino  3 , Mattie Elam  4 , Doug Romerhausen  4 , Marley Vazquez  2 , Chris Duggar  2 , Christine Kim  5 , Anita Patel  2 , Angela Guo  2 , Radhika Gharpure  2 , Ashley Tippins  2 , Lori Moore  2
Affiliations

Advancing public health informatics during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned from a public-private partnership with pharmacies

Nkenge Jones-Jack et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

To support efforts to vaccinate millions of Americans across the United States (US) against COVID-19, the US federal government (USG) launched the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (PPP) in December 2020 and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) in February 2021. These programs consisted of a collaborative partnership with the USG and 21 pharmacy organizations, including large retail chains, coordinating pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) representing independent retail and long-term care pharmacies, and pharmacy network administrators. These pharmacy organizations represented over 46,000 providers and created a robust channel for far-reaching COVID-19 vaccination across 56 state and local jurisdictions. PPP reported more than 8 million COVID-19 doses administered to residents and staff in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) as of June 2021. In addition, FRPP was responsible for administering more than 304 million doses, accounting for approximately 49% of all COVID-19 doses administered as of June 2023. This unprecedented public-private partnership allowed USG to rapidly adapt, expand, and aim to provide equitable access to vaccines for adults and eligible-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the largest federal COVID-19 vaccination program, the FRPP exemplifies how public-private partnerships can expand access to immunizations during a public health emergency. End-to-end informatics support helped pharmacies meet critical national public health goals and served as convenient access points for sustained health services. This manuscript describes lessons learned regarding informatics coordination with participating pharmacy partners to support the rapid and safe administration of COVID-19 vaccines across the US. The processes of onboarding to CDC's complex data network, establishing connections to state and local immunization information systems (IIS), and monitoring the quality of data pharmacy partners submitted to the CDC Data Clearinghouse (DCH) in alignment with the COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Specifications (CVRS) are highlighted.

Keywords: COVID-19; Immunization; Informatics; Long-term care facilities; Partnerships; Pharmacy; Pharmacy management systems; Public health surveillance; Vaccine administration.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Anita Patel reports a relationship with Walgreen Co that includes: employment.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Pharmacy Dual Data Reporting Data Flow.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Summary of Reporting Challenges Impacting PPP and FRPP Partners*. *Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program/Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
PPP/FRPP* Program Milestones, April 2020–May 2023 *Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program/Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Specifications: Key Data Elements.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Map of Federal Retail Pharmacy Program COVID-19 Vaccine Providers Sites by Zip Codes and Density of Doses Administered, Dec. 2020–May 2023. *A total of 5,000 zip codes are not displayed due to being reported as unknown. ** More information on 21 national chain and independent pharmacy partners: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/index.html.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Chain Pharmacy Organizations: COVID-19 Immunization Data Flow.
Fig. 7a.
Fig. 7a.
Independent Pharmacy Organizations: COVID-19 Immunization Data Flow (A).
Fig. 7b.
Fig. 7b.
Independent Pharmacy Organizations: COVID-19 Immunization Data Flow (B).
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
Cumulative Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine by MMWR Week, Total Doses vs. FRPP* Doses Administered—United States, February 11, 2021–May 31, 2023. *Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake by MMWR Week, Total Doses vs. FRPP* Doses Administered—United States, February 11, 2021–May 31, 2023. *Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.
System Readiness: Comparing Routine Vaccines to Pre-Positioned COVID-19 Vaccines.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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