STD Quarterly
Get HPV vaccine dose replacements via plan
Have you administered the initial dose of Gardasil, the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, to a young woman with private insurance, only to later discover that her policy does not cover vaccine reimbursement?
Vaccine manufacturer Merck & Co. has announced the Dose Replacement Program to help address Gardasil reimbursement concerns for privately insured patients ages 19-26. The company has launched the program to help providers prevent missed opportunities when it comes to vaccinating women in the 19-26 age range.
According to Merck, there are fewer government programs available to help provide access to the HPV vaccine for women ages 19-26 whose private insurance benefits do not include first dollar vaccine coverage. In addition, there is no national program for women ages 19-26 comparable to the Vaccines for Children program that provides vaccines for those ages 9 to 18.
Providers who enroll in the Merck program are eligible to receive one replacement dose for every 10 doses purchased during the quarter. Program participants can receive at least one replacement dose as long as they have purchased a single dose in the quarter.
The new program applies to doses administered on or after May 16, 2008. The program does not cover doses administered to patients who are eligible for any government-funded health care program or who have no health insurance. Program coverage is not available in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, or Rhode Island.
The company says it expects the program to extend through 2009 while company officials work with appropriate stakeholders to identify long-term solutions to reimbursement challenges.
To enroll in the program, visit its web site, www.drp4gardasil.com. If you do not have internet access, you may request information by calling the program's toll-free number, (800) 668-8414.
Get online resources for STD awareness
Educational tools, materials available
Need to boost awareness about various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at your clinic? Check out the wide variety of online resources at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) STD Awareness Month site, www.cdcnpin.org.
While April 2008 was designated as STD Awareness Month, the CDC is encouraging providers to visit the site throughout the year to download materials, education tools, and information to support STD awareness activities.
Download basic prevention and treatment brochures through The Facts series offered at the online site. Available in English and Spanish, the brochures are freely reproducible in Adobe PDF. Each title covers such STDs as chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, pelvic inflammatory disease, and trichomoniasis.
The site also offers innovative E-Cards, which allows senders to send colorful prevention messages via e-mail. Messages include such information as "1 in 4 Americans have an STD" and, "It is estimated that over 2 million Americans have chlamydia."
Other resources include links to such sites as the California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center's SWAP Site (www.stdhivtraining.org; click on "Material Swap"), which provide agencies with free access to locally developed, original health education and promotional materials. Also included is a link to the CDC's STD and HIV Testing Resources site (www.hivtest.org), which allows providers to list their testing services in CDC's searchable database of HIV/ AIDS, viral hepatitis, STD, and tuberculosis service providers. Click on the "Get Tested!" icon.
Use online resource to link to STD information
Interested in sharing information on sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention? Check out www.STDPreventionOnline.org, a service of The Internet & STD Center of Excellence. The center is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and carried out by the Denver Department of Public Health.
The web site allows providers to explore, identify, implement, and evaluate innovative technologies and applications that show promise in addressing STD prevention. Applications may target patients, clinicians, epidemiologists, public health workers, researchers, or others in the prevention field. The site also offers a free job bank as well as a calendar of upcoming conferences.
To reach the link, click on the "Get Tested!" icon on the opening page of the STD Awareness Month site.
Have you administered the initial dose of Gardasil, the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, to a young woman with private insurance, only to later discover that her policy does not cover vaccine reimbursement?You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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