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COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting Systems








Clinic Types and Services in VAMS						Print
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			Benefits and Consideration of Clinic TypesStandard Clinic TypesMobile Clinic TypeThird-Party Clinic Type
		
The purpose of this document is to provide information on the various vaccination clinic types available in VAMS.**Standard Vaccination Clinic Types | Clinic, Hospital, Pharmacy, Pop-Up**
***Examples:****Urgent care centers, retail clinics and pharmacies, community hospitals, temporary vaccination sites at schools, etc.*
Options for this type of clinic in VAMS include clinic, hospital, pharmacy, and pop-up
Have one permanent or one temporary location for vaccination
Can receive inventory at the clinic’s permanent physical address or at an alternate shipping address
Are publicly searchable and open to all recipients for scheduling appointments
Set an established schedule for appointments
Can be set up to offer the following clinic services:Vaccinations
COVID-19 Testing
Scheduling Only
School-Located Vaccines
Vaccines for Children
Field-Located Vaccines
Other
**N****OTE:** If **Other** is selected, provide a brief description of the clinic service in space provided.**Mobile Vaccination Clinic Type**
***Examples:****Mobile clinic bus, mobile clinic van*
One clinic with multiple locations for vaccination
Can add multiple locations for vaccinations
Require a permanent address to receive inventory
Are publicly searchable and open to all recipients for scheduling appointments
Set an established schedule for appointments
Can be set up to offer the following clinic services:
Vaccinations
COVID-19 Testing
Scheduling Only
School-Located Vaccines
Vaccines for Children
Field-Located Vaccines
Other
**NOTE:** If **Other** is selected, provide a brief description of the clinic service in space provided.**Third-Party Vaccination Clinic Type**
***Examples:****Long-term care facility (LTCF), nursing home, employees-only clinic within a hospital, etc.*
Are not publicly visible/searchable by recipients in VAMS*
Clinic staff responsible for both adding and managing recipient records as well as administering and tracking recipients in VAMS
Can receive inventory at the clinic’s permanent physical address or at an alternate shipping address
Do not establish a schedule in VAMS for appointments**Third-party clinics have the option to mark themselves as “available for scheduling” to allow walk-in appointment scheduling. By default, this option will not be selected, and the clinic will not be publicly searchable.***Quick tip:** Use the clinic type “Other” for clinics that do not fall within one of the categories above and require a different label.Key Differences Between Clinic Types in VAMSStandard and Mobile Clinics
**Clinic Roles (4)**
Clinic administrator
Healthcare professional
Inventory manager
Front desk**Scheduling**
Set up clinic vaccination schedule in VAMS for appointments.
**Accessibility**
Recipients use VAMS to:
Record medical history
Search for vaccination clinics
Schedule appointments
View vaccination certificates**Next-Dose Eligibility**
Recipients receive reminders from VAMS on when they should schedule follow-up appointments.Third-Party Clinics
**Clinic Roles (3)**
Clinic administrator
Healthcare professional
Inventory manager (optional)**Scheduling**
No clinic schedule set up because no appointments are scheduled by recipients.
**Accessibility**
Recipients do NOT use VAMS*
**Unless the recipient chose to create a VAMS account when the clinic added them as a user. Then the recipient would have access to the VAMS Recipient Portal.*Third-party clinics do not appear in vaccination clinic search results*
**Unless the clinic has marked themselves in the system as “available for scheduling,” which allows the clinic to appear in search results for walk-in appointments only.***Next-Dose Eligibility**
The clinic administrator or healthcare professional tracks vaccine recipients’ next-dose eligibility in VAMS and communicates it to recipients, unless a recipient chooses to provide contact information in the system and agrees to receive VAMS communications.Benefits and Considerations of Clinic Vaccination Types in VAMSStandard Vaccination Clinics**Benefits**
Recipients schedule their own appointments.
VAMS manages all recipient notifications (e.g., appointment reminders, confirmations).
Clinic schedule is easily adjustable to account for clinic absences and staffing needs.**Considerations**
Standard vaccination clinics are *not* as useful for:
Quick clinic setup; a clinic schedule must be set up in VAMS
Recipients with accessibility challenges (e.g., lack of internet, literacy or language barriers)
Clinics that do not want their vaccination site to be visible to the general populationMobile Vaccination Clinics**Benefits**
Mobile clinics can change their physical address in VAMS.
VAMS manages all recipient notifications (e.g., appointment reminders, confirmations).
Recipients schedule their own appointments.
Clinic schedule is easily adjustable to account for clinic absences and staffing needs.**Considerations**
Mobile vaccination clinics are not as useful for:
Clinics with no permanent shipping address for receiving inventory
Quick clinic setup; a clinic schedule must be set up in VAMS
Recipients with accessibility challenges (e.g., lack of internet, literacy or language barriers)
Clinics that do not want their vaccination site to be visible to the general populationThird-Party Vaccination Clinics**Benefits**
No clinic schedule to set up because recipients do not schedule appointments in VAMS.
Supports walk-ins more easily.
Offers accessibility support for recipients; no system interaction is required for recipients.
Limited to select recipients added by the clinic; not publicly searchable unless the clinic administrator marks the clinic as “available for scheduling,” in which case it will appear in search results for walk-in appointments only.**Considerations**
Third-party vaccination clinic staff must establish local processes for activities such as:
Managing the schedule for recipients and the clinic
Confirming Pre-vaccination Actions are complete
Notifying recipients who declined to receive VAMS notifications that they are eligible for:
Vaccination at the clinic
Their next dose of vaccine, if applicableClinic Service Types in VAMS
Once assigned a Clinic Type, Clinics in VAMS are assigned a Clinic Service type. The available Clinic Services are dependent on the chosen Clinic Type, as certain Clinic Services are exclusive to certain Clinic Types. In total, there are seven Clinic Service types in VAMS:
Available for All Clinic Types:
Vaccinations
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19, Mpox, and routine vaccination appointments
**NOTE:** Third-Party Clinics are exclusive to the Vaccinations Clinic Service type. Third-Party Clinics cannot be set up for any other clinic service, and they only allow for walk-in appointments (no future appointment scheduling).Available Only for Standard and Mobile Clinics:
COVID-19 Testing
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19 testing appointments
Scheduling Only
Enables the scheduling of vaccination and/or general appointments
**NOTE:**No vaccination logging permitted under this clinic service type
School-Located Vaccines
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19, Mpox, and routine vaccination appointments
Vaccines for Children
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19, Mpox, and routine vaccination appointments
Field-Located Vaccines
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19, Mpox, and routine vaccination appointments
Other
Enables the scheduling of COVID-19, Mpox, and routine vaccination appointments
VAMS Help Desk Contact InformationFor additional support, complete the contact form for the VAMS Help Desk.
**Toll-Free Number** | +1 833-748-1979
**Email:**CARS_HelpDesk@cdc.gov
**Hours of Operation** | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM EST | Monday – FridayTop of Page
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  December 15, 2023						Source: 	National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
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