Am I a "healthcare/vaccination provider"?

Burtletoy

Okay, so I live in Washington state. And I work at a company that is developing, and soon, manufacturing (non-covid) vaccines for the developing world.

My work wants to send me to India to help a startup do GMP manufacturing. I guess they have a contract with UNICEF, but they haven't done GMP manufacturing before and requested my help.

If I go onto the Washington state website about getting a covid vaccine it says:

Are you a worker in a healthcare setting (e.g. Healthcare provider, vaccination provider, (more)) who is at risk for acquiring or transmitting covid due to exposure to patients, coworkers or specimens?"

Healthcare setting refers to places where healthcare is delivered to humans and includes, but is not limited to, acute care facilities, long term acute care facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes and assisted living, home healthcare, vehicles where healthcare is provided, and outpatient facilities

If I click yes, the website simply says I'm eligible and asks for my name so it can print something for my vaccine provider as proof. I didn't finish this step, cause it feels kinda wrong. I'm not sure any of that description actually applies to me.

Do you think I am a vaccine/healthcare provider?

bowen

I would say yes, you'll need proof from your office that you should be getting the shot though if it's anything like NYS' process. I had to bring a letter on company letterhead.

Burtletoy

One I click yes and type in my name, it will print the required proof. I didn't take the second step yet

zepherin

They should have defined healthcare setting more concisely if they didn't want you to sign up. Follow the letter of the text, not the intent of the wording. There's a reason they left it vague. So go and get your vaccine.

CelestialBadger

I'd say yes, especially since you need to travel internationally for your work.

Feral

Purely semantically, no, you're not a provider.

In a healthcare context, "provider" means specifically a healthcare worker delivering care to patients, or an institution delivering care to patients. Providers include physicians, nurses, physical therapists, optometrists, dentists. Institutions that are providers can include hospitals, urgent care clinics, physicians' groups, and HMOs. Usually the term "provider" is used in the context of insurance payments; the payer wants to know which provider gets their money.

Based on how I'm interpreting your post, you work for a vaccine manufacturer in an engineering or quality control role. Even though your company is "providing" (in a colloquial sense) vaccines to hospitals, technically that doesn't make you a "provider" in the healthcare sense, because you're not providing care directly to patients.

According to the CDC guidelines, you should qualify for Phase 1B because you work in "Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing". (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/categories-essential-workers.html)

Washington state's guidelines break down Phase 1B into tiers. It doesn't mention specifically which tier includes medical equipment and supplies manufacturing. But phase 1B tier 2 includes high-risk critical workers who have to use public transit (including air travel) for work, and expected eligibility for that is March 22.

Feral

Also, just speaking purely anecdotally, WA state has been doing very well on our vaccine rollout, and I know multiple people who got the vaccine ahead of the expected eligibility date because their physician/clinic/distribution point had enough vaccines to fulfill the tier 1a demand at that location, and moved on to lower-tier patients. You might be able to talk to your physician or to a nearby vaccination distribution point (https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Immunization/VaccineLocations) about the situation and be able to receive a vaccine anyway.

bowen

Feral wrote: »

Purely semantically, no, you're not a provider.

In a healthcare context, "provider" means specifically a healthcare worker delivering care to patients, or an institution delivering care to patients. Providers include physicians, nurses, physical therapists, optometrists, dentists. Institutions that are providers can include hospitals, urgent care clinics, physicians' groups, and HMOs. Usually the term "provider" is used in the context of insurance payments; the payer wants to know which provider gets their money.

Based on how I'm interpreting your post, you work for a vaccine manufacturer in an engineering or quality control role. Even though your company is "providing" (in a colloquial sense) vaccines to hospitals, technically that doesn't make you a "provider" in the healthcare sense, because you're not providing care directly to patients.

According to the CDC guidelines, you should qualify for Phase 1B because you work in "Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing". (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/categories-essential-workers.html)

Washington state's guidelines break down Phase 1B into tiers. It doesn't mention specifically which tier includes medical equipment and supplies manufacturing. But phase 1B tier 2 includes high-risk critical workers who have to use public transit (including air travel) for work, and expected eligibility for that is March 22.

Yeah healthcare provider means all those, vaccine provider is a bit more ambiguous. I'm unable to find any information on what classifies someone or something as a vaccine provider in any context really.

Do insurance and billing verbiages apply to vaccine rollouts for a state when classifying a worker?

bowen

Vaccine provider, near as I can tell from the CDC pages are any company that has provided vaccines to anyone at any time, manufacturers still count if they give and administer them in any capacity.

Also the CDC doesn't stipulate you have to be a COVID vaccine provider to be counted among them.

Burtletoy

Fuck it. Gonna sign up for a vaccine. Gonna be the 5th vaccination I get due to working here

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

you're not a 'provider' in the context they mean (i.e. you're not administering vaccines to people)

but what the hell, sign up and see if they stop you

VishNub

Do it. don’t feel even slightly bad.

mts

bowen wrote: »

Feral wrote: »

Purely semantically, no, you're not a provider.

In a healthcare context, "provider" means specifically a healthcare worker delivering care to patients, or an institution delivering care to patients. Providers include physicians, nurses, physical therapists, optometrists, dentists. Institutions that are providers can include hospitals, urgent care clinics, physicians' groups, and HMOs. Usually the term "provider" is used in the context of insurance payments; the payer wants to know which provider gets their money.

Based on how I'm interpreting your post, you work for a vaccine manufacturer in an engineering or quality control role. Even though your company is "providing" (in a colloquial sense) vaccines to hospitals, technically that doesn't make you a "provider" in the healthcare sense, because you're not providing care directly to patients.

According to the CDC guidelines, you should qualify for Phase 1B because you work in "Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing". (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/categories-essential-workers.html)

Washington state's guidelines break down Phase 1B into tiers. It doesn't mention specifically which tier includes medical equipment and supplies manufacturing. But phase 1B tier 2 includes high-risk critical workers who have to use public transit (including air travel) for work, and expected eligibility for that is March 22.

Yeah healthcare provider means all those, vaccine provider is a bit more ambiguous. I'm unable to find any information on what classifies someone or something as a vaccine provider in any context really.

Do insurance and billing verbiages apply to vaccine rollouts for a state when classifying a worker?

Not really. Vaccine provider is now someone who is actively administering injections. So a nurse etc who is volunteering at an injection site

tinwhiskers

Go Get a shot. The actual healthcare providers have been stretching this shit so far internally its a joke already. I know multiple people who work in billing departments that got shots back in January as 'Health care workers'.

One is a part time receptionist for a Chiropractor, so literally a "Fake Healthcare" worker.

Daenris

tinwhiskers wrote: »

Go Get a shot. The actual healthcare providers have been stretching this shit so far internally its a joke already. I know multiple people who work in billing departments that got shots back in January as 'Health care workers'.

One is a part time receptionist for a Chiropractor, so literally a "Fake Healthcare" worker.

Yep, this. The University of Michigan Health System decided in January that every employee of their health system was necessary for the smooth functioning of the system as a whole and so was eligible as healthcare providers. Healthcare workers, med school faculty/staff with no patient interaction, administration, research. Everyone.

MegaMan001

You're not a provider in the actual (billable sense of the word), but honestly? Fuck it. The vaccine rollout being left to individual states is one of the most goddamn stupid things I've ever seen in my medical career.

I'd tell you to get the shot as soon as possible even if you weren't doing the job you are.

Go get the shot and feel confident that the vaccine inventory is just fine, you're not taking someone else's.

Burtletoy

Thanks everyone. Actually scheduled my appointment yesterday, and today? Shots went into arms.

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