Transmission of SAMS Immunization Data to DEERS

1. BACKGROUND. REFS (A) THROUGH (C), DIRECT COMMANDS TO
SUBMIT IMMUNIZATION DATA FOR ANTHRAX AND SMALLPOX VIA THE SHIPBOARD
NON-TACTICAL AUTOMATED DATA PROCESSING PROGRAM AUTOMATED MEDICAL
SYSTEM (SAMS) TO THE NAVAL MEDICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CENTER
(NMIMC) FOR SUBMISSION INTO THE DEFENSE ENROLLMENT ELIGIBILITY
REPORTING SYSTEM (DEERS); ACTIVITIES ADMINISTERING THE IMMUNIZATIONS
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THE IMMUNIZATION DATA IS PLACED INTO
DEERS VIA SAMS. REF (D) ESTABLISHED A MONTHLY ANTHRAX AND SMALLPOX
STATUS REPORTING REQUIREMENT TO THE OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY
OF DEFENSE (HEALTH AFFAIRS) USING THE DEERS DATA.
2. SITUATION. AUDITS COMPARING ANTHRAX AND SMALLPOX IMMUNIZATION
DATA REPORTED DIRECTLY BY UNITS TO HQMC WITH SIMILAR DATA REPORTED IN
DEERS REFLECT SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER NUMBERS OF IMMUNIZATIONS REPORTED
IN DEERS. THIS IS DUE TO EITHER: (1) FAILURE TO EXPEDITIOUSLY
CORRECT ERRORS NOTED IN SAMS ERROR RETURN FILES; OR (2) SAMS DATA NOT
BEING RECEIVED AT NMIMC AS A RESULT OF NETWORK SECURITY SYSTEMS
REMOVING SAMS ZIP FILES SUBMITTED AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS. IN SUCH
CASES, EFFECTED COMMANDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT DATA VIA NAVAL
MEDICINE ONLINE SERVICES, AS OUTLINED IN PARA 3.B.2. ONCE DEERS
ACCURATELY REFLECTS SERVICE IMMUNIZATION STATUS, IT CAN THEN SERVE
AS THE SOLE SOURCE FOR SERVICE IMMUNIZATION REPORT DATA.
3. ACTION. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOR ACCURATE REPORTING OF VITAL
IMMUNIZATION DATA REQ BY REF (D) COMMANDERS ARE DIRECTED TO TAKE THE
FOLLOWING ACTION:
A. ENSURE TIMELY SUBMISSION OF THE SAMS IMMUNIZATION EXPORT TO NMIMC
IN ORDER TO HAVE UNIT IMMUNIZATION DATA ACCURATELY RECORDED IN DEERS
NLT THE 15TH OF EACH MONTH FOR THE PRECEDING MONTH. THIS INCLUDES
RECTIFICATION OF ERROR REPORTS.
B. SUBMIT SAMS DATA USING PROCEDURES OUTLINED IN PARA 3.B.1 OR 3.B.2,
AS APPROPRIATE.
(1) EMAIL (FOR USE BY COMMANDS ABLE TO SEND SAMS FILES AS EMAIL
ATTACHMENTS):
 (A) HAVE SAMS CREATE ZIP FILE FOR DATA.
 (B) CHANGE FILE EXTENSION FROM .ZIP TO .SAM.
(C) ATTACH FILE TO EMAIL AND SUBMIT TO SAMS@US.MED.NAVY.MIL.
 (D) RETURNED FILE WILL ARRIVE BY EMAIL WITH .SAM FILE
EXTENSION.
 (E) CHANGE FILE EXTENSION FROM .SAM TO .ZIP.
 (F) IMPORT ZIP FILE INTO SAMS.
 (G) REVIEW AND CORRECT ERRORS.
 (H) RESUBMIT FILE TO NMIMC
(2) USE OF NAVAL MEDICINE ONLINE SERVICES FOR SUBMITTING DATA:
 (A) LOGON ONTO NAVAL MEDICINE ONLINE (NMO) AT
HTTP:NAVALMEDICINE.MED.NAVY.MIL. ESTABLISH AN ACCOUNT IF YOU HAVE NOT
ALREADY DONE SO, AN ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED FOR INTERNET UPLOAD USE.
 (B) ONCE AN ACCOUNT IS ESTABLISHED, UNDER "MY PREDEFINED TOOL
KITS", CLICK ON "SAMS".
 (C) CLICK ON "SUBMIT AN IMMUNIZATION FILE".
 (D) BROWSE TO THE SAMS FILE ON YOUR COMPUTER (USUALLY IN THE
C:\SAMS_NT\DEERSOUT DIRECTORY).
 (E) ENTER COMMENTS AND CLICK SAVE.
 (F) AFTER YOUR SUBMITTED FILE HAS BEEN PROCESSED, THE
USER WILL RECEIVE AN E-MAIL WITH A HYPERLINK TO THE RETURN-FILE TO
BE SAVED IN THE C:\SAME_NT\DEERSIN DIRECTORY ON YOUR COMPUTER.
 (G) ONCE SAVED ON YOUR COMPUTER, IMPORT THE RETURN-FILE TO
SAMS.
IMPORT OF THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT/ERROR FILE IS CRITICAL. ERRORS MUST BE
CORRECTED AND RE-ENTERED. USERS NOT IMPORTING THE ACK/ERR REPORT WILL
REPEATEDLY TRANSMIT THE SAME IMMUNIZATIONS UNTIL ACKNOWLEDGED,
WASTING BANDWIDTH AND TIME.
4. ASSISTANCE
A. A DETAILED, STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE GUIDE, "EVERYTHING YOU
ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT REPORTING YOUR IMMUNIZATION DATA TO
DEERS BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK" IS AVAILABLE FROM SPAWAR AT
HTTPS:IMCENTER.MED.NAVY.MIL/ITS/SUPPLEMENTS/DEERSPACKAGE.DOC.
B. FOR QUESTIONS, CONTACT A HQMC, AREA, OR TECHNICAL SUPPORT POC
LISTED BELOW:
 (1) HQMC(HS): CDR D. MCMILLAN, DSN 334-4477, EMAIL:
MCMILLANDL@HQMC.USMC.MIL
 (2) HQMC(PPO/PLN): LTCOL D. BETHEL, DSN 335-0331, EMAIL:
BETHELDA@HQMC.USMC.MIL
 (3) MARFORLANT: HMC PESQUERA, DSN 836-1688, EMAIL:
PESQUERAE@MARFORLANT.USMC.MIL
 (4) MARFORPAC: CDR SPENCER, DSN (315) 477-8667, EMAIL:
SPENCERAP@MFP.USMC.MIL
 (5) NMIMC POC: GARY PARKER, DSN 385-1094, EMAIL:
GWPARKER@US.MED.NAVY.MIL
 (6) SAMS EAST TECHNICAL SUPPORT, DSN 646-0741,
SAMSEAST@SCN.SPAWAR.NAVY.MIL, HTTP:WWW.SCN.SPAWAR.NAVY.MIL/MED-SYS
 (7) SAMS WEST TECHNICAL SUPPORT, DSN 536-9093
SAMSWEST@SCN.SPAWAR.NAVY.MIL
 (8) SAMS FAR EAST TECHNICAL SUPPORT, CML (808)-471-4600 X607,
SAMSPAC@SCN.SPAWAR.NAVY.MIL
C. TO SUBMIT SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT, CONTACT MR. PARKER, AT
SUBPARA 4.B(5), ABOVE.
5. COMPLIANCE. COMMANDERS ARE TO MONITOR AND ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH
THIS DIRECTIVE. COMPLIANCE CAN BE REVIEWED ON DATA SUBMISSION BY
USING THE SITE REPORT ICON ON NMIMC'S WEBSITE AT
HTTPS:IMCENTER.MED.NAVY.MIL/ITS .