Indiana-based company behind vaccine sign-up technology, inventory

Millions of Americans have rolled up their sleeves to get the vaccine, but appointments are still needed. 

The system scheduling and keeping track of vaccine appointments has a lot to juggle and Hoosiers depend on its success. 

“When we first started, they were all paper,” CEO and Founder of Zotec Partners T. Scott Law said. “They were having people fill out forms, much like if you go to a doctor’s office, you fill out the form, they try to match the test and the big problem with the testing was how do you make that test actually get to the lab, make sure it’s for that right patient and then tell the patient whether they’re positive or negative.”  

Scott Law is leading the charge for Zotec Partners, the Indiana-based company facilitating technology for vaccine sign-ups, inventory and certification for the Hoosier state. 

The Zotec system is used for more than 1,400 state and local health department sites, in addition to Walmart. 

“Behind the scenes it’s a very complicated process because you have two different intervals of two different doses of vaccine,” Law explained.  “You have thawing conditions or freezing conditions that have to be maintained, up until the point that you’re going to put that shot in the arm.” 

Hoosiers can sign-up for a vaccine appointment at Ourshot.in.gov. The process includes confirming eligibility, locating a vaccination site near you and setting your appointment date and time, along with entering personal information. 

“You want to minimize the time that people are exposed to each other or, you know, contacting with other patients,” Law said. “And so that’s what’s been our main driver ever since the beginning.”   

The team is working to get that time down to a science. From the time a patient checks in to the time a patient receives a shot, the goal is to have it all done in seven minutes, not including the 15-minute observation period, according to Law. This method will help as 5,500 people are expected to get vaccinated through Notre Dame’s mass vaccination clinic on March 26, 27. 

“We have to keep it orderly, so we don’t want a line of 5,500 people,” Law said. “It’s not a Notre Dame football game that you know you want to make sure that you have people in line within a range of time that they’re going to be able to get the shot, so they don’t wait long.”  

Law said it is an honor to be associated with something so important, giving Zotec Partners an opportunity to rebound after initially losing 40% of business when the pandemic hit. 

“We’re in it for the long run,” Law said. “We’re very excited about where we’ve come from a system, and technology perspective and we’re ready to go.”  

With eligibility guidelines rapidly changing, Law said that they are prepared and excited. For anyone skeptical about how the data could be used, Law said not to worry. From a data security standpoint, the state and Zotec Partners are not marketing patient information, only using it for public health, according to Law.

If you have questions about COVID-19 or the vaccine, please send an email to [email protected].