How to Obtain a Health Commerce System (HCS) Account

An HCS account is needed for the completion of the online Certified Pharmacist Immunizer Survey.
Many pharmacies already have HCS accounts. The person who has already obtained or who obtains this account is known as the HCS Director. This is generally someone with the authority to make decisions about personnel hiring and termination.

Pharmacies can either:

  1. report on behalf of their pharmacists, or
  2. instruct each employee to obtain their own HCS account so they may report on their own behalf
    1. If a pharmacy chooses to report on behalf of their pharmacists, this reporting may be done by contacting the Commerce Accounts Management Unit (CAMU) at 1-866-529-1890 (option 1) to affiliate the pharmacy with the HCS and generate the HCS Director and Coordinator forms:
      • The HCS Director, or the pharmacy can assign one or more other pharmacy staff into the role of HCS Coordinator(s), who then may report on behalf of the pharmacy's immunizing pharmacists.
      • In either case, the HCS Director and the HCS Coordinator(s) will need to sign an agreement to abide by the policies and procedures for accessing and using data and information contained on the HCS.
      • The HCS Director and HCS Coordinator(s) will then receive an email with the Document 1 Security and Use Policy (SAUP), the Document 2 SAUP, and the account request form that he/she must print out and sign in the presence of a notary.
      • Mail both account request forms with original signatures in the same envelope to:
        NYSDOH
        Commerce Accounts Management Unit (CAMU) Supervisors
        800 North Pearl Street, Room 214
        Albany, NY 12204-1899
      • HCS accounts will be created for the HCS Director and the HCS Coordinator(s). The HCS Director and HCS Coordinator(s) applying for HCS accounts will each be mailed a letter containing an HCS PIN (needed to activate their account) and account activation instructions. The HCS Director form must be process with the HCS Coordinator's form.
    2. If the pharmacy director chooses to have certified pharmacists report on their own behalf, pharmacists should be instructed to obtain their own HCS account. They will need to sign an agreement to abide by the policies and procedures for accessing and using data and information contained on the HCS.
      • Pharmacists reporting on their own behalf can apply for an HCS account here: https://hcsteamwork1.health.state.ny.us/pub/top.html
      • The application will be reviewed. When approved, an email will be sent to the Pharmacist with the account request form to print out and sign in the presence of a notary.
      • Mail the account request form with original signatures to:
        NYSDOH
        Commerce Accounts Management Unit (CAMU) Supervisors
        800 North Pearl Street, Room 214
        Albany, NY 12204-1899
      • An HCS account will be created for the pharmacist. The pharmacist will be mailed a letter containing an HCS PIN (needed to activate their account) and account activation instructions.

Additional Resources:

  1. For further information, please see NYSDOH's "Pharmacists as Immunizers" homepage: http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/providers/pharmacists_as_immunizers.htm.
  2. For HCS Coordinator Training: Call 518-473-1809 or send an email to hcsoutreach@health.state.ny.us
  3. To log into the HCS, please go to: https://commerce.health.state.ny.us

For additional information or questions for those located outside of NYC, call the NYSDOH Bureau of Immunization at 518-473-4437 or in NYC, call the NYCDOHMH Bureau of Immunization at 347-396-2400.