Industry advocacy groups like the NCPA® aren’t shy about saying it: providing vaccinations should be a core competency of any community pharmacy. Patient, public, and business health all benefit from pharmacists serving as immunizers – and this downloadable vaccination checklist will get you started.
Pharmacy immunizations bring a lot of value to patients. Most patients would prefer to get their vaccines at their pharmacy home because the store’s location and open hours are often more accessible. Patients are also generally more comfortable within a pharmacy environment than inside a medical office. In terms of value for the pharmacist, immunization programs generate new revenue in addition to traditional dispensing and keep your pharmacy from losing prescription revenue if patients are seeking the convenience of one-stop shopping for medications and vaccines. Vaccinations are a logical entry into providing a full range of clinical services in the community pharmacy. They support chronic disease management and improve the overall health status of the pharmacy’s customer base.
As with any new venture, there are barriers to overcome, including time, training, and reimbursement. But a wealth of resources exists to help get you going, whether you choose a do-it-yourself approach using publicly available guidance or decide to streamline the process by aligning with a dedicated industry partner.
This checklist is designed to highlight the main steps and decision points to successfully providing immunizations in your community pharmacy.
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