NYC providers who want to participate in the city's COVID-19 vaccine program will need to enroll with the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR). They must use the CIR to electronically sign a provider agreement, place their order and report all doses administered.

Note: If you already belong to a Federal Retail Pharmacy Program network, you still need to enroll in CIR but do not need to separately enroll in the NYC COVID-19 program.

• Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR): How to enroll in CIR, access the provider agreement, order vaccine and report doses given.
  • Once your Provider Agreement is approved by the NYC Health Department (and if you have appropriate vaccine storage), you will be able to place orders for COVID-19 vaccine in the CIR.
• The CDC has developed a tool to help providers enrolled in the Vaccines For Children (VFC) program understand the difference in requirements between the VFC program and the COVID-19 Vaccination program. To help compare, see this table with a side-by-side comparison of these two federal programs.

Small practices can contact NYC REACH COVID-19 Vaccine Support for assistance with ordering COVID-19 vaccines, using patient outreach tools and finding vaccination sites for patients. For more information, contact NYC REACH.

Billing

You must offer the COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible people (as per State guidance), regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

You may not bill for the cost of the vaccine, but you are permitted to bill the recipient’s health insurance plan for an administration fee. If a recipient does not have health insurance, or if their health insurance does not cover the administration fee, you can request reimbursement for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine through the HRSA Uninsured Program or the HRSA COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund.

• What Providers Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Fees (HRSA, PDF): Summarizes rules about vaccine administration fees and vaccination for people who are uninsured. Also reaffirms that receiving COVID-19 vaccination is not dependent on immigration status.
• New York State Medicaid Billing Guidance for COVID‑19 Vaccines
• Medicare Part B Payment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

COVID-19 vaccines are available to anyone 6 months or older at no cost. If you do not offer COVID-19 vaccines, refer patients by:

• Visiting the COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to find a vaccine site (not accessible with Internet Explorer).
• Calling 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692) to schedule an appointment (to help a patient, press #2; for boosters and additional doses, press #4).
• Requesting an in-home vaccination appointment.
• Requesting the NYC Vaccine Hotline call a patient to schedule an appointment.

If you offer COVID-19 vaccines, learn how to make your vaccination site more accessible:

• NYC Vaccination Sites: How to Make Your Site Accessible for People with Disabilities (PDF)

Certain adverse events must be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
• VAERS FAQ: Types of events that must be reported.