Insight - Fall 2020

Fall 2020 | 8 Tap CPESN Ed Vess, R.Ph., Director of Pharmacy Professional Affairs Year 2020 has proven to be challenging for healthcare as we deal with a pandemic and too many sources of misinformation. The silver lining is pharmacists are finally being recognized for the value we bring our patients. The September release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations identifies pharmacy as a key component in each phase of the COVID-19 vaccination plan 1 . In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a third amendment to the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act to increase access to lifesaving childhood vaccines and decrease the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. 2 While many federal and state agencies are working on plans to ensure access to the COVID-19 vaccine, the details for billing and reporting are not yet finalized. We are confident that all administering the vaccine will be required to report to state immunization registries (IIS) within 24 hours of vaccine administration. The first four vaccines in testing require a two-shot series of the same brand requiring a vaccine history review before administering the vaccine to ensure the same brand is used. Our RedSail Advantage ™ program, which leverages our partnership with OmniSYS ® and their immunization module, will provide this capability for your pharmacy. We also know the government oversight to vaccine distribution and administration will shift from federal to state during the process – making it important for you to register with your state’s public health department as an immunizer. NCPA offers some great recommendations on what pharmacies should do right now to be prepared for COVID-19 vaccine administration. 3 Check out their website for details, but a few items to note include: y Registering your pharmacy on VaccineFinder . y Updating your NCPDP ® pharmacy profile to indicate that you’re an immunizer. y Making sure your pharmacy can report daily to your state IIS system (registry). y Checking with your state pharmacy association to understand what efforts are being taken on your behalf to coordinate with other pertinent organizations in the state. NCPA also offers a No Excuses Immunization Toolkit that provides pharmacy resources for starting or expanding a vaccine program. 4 Provider Status With recognition comes responsibility and the benefit of building a strong case for pharmacist provider status. Our national and local pharmacy organizations are working together to help us best serve our patients while providing a sustainable business model. Many of these organizations have COVID-19 dedicated pages on their websites to keep members updated with the latest information on this rapidly evolving process. If not already, we highly encourage you to join and engage with professional organizations and your state pharmacy association in preparation to be a part of the pharmacist solution to better patient care and improved health outcomes. References: American Pharmacists Association (APhA) – Pharmacist’s Guide to Coronavirus American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Sources: 1 COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 09/16/20. Web. Accessed: 10/05/20. https:// www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/downloads/ COVID-19-Vaccination-Program-Interim_Playbook .pdf 2 HHS Expands Access to Childhood Vaccines during COVID-19 Pandemic. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 08/19/20. Web. Accessed: 10/05/20. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/08/19/hhs- expands-access-childhood-vaccines-during-covid-19- pandemic.html 3 COVID-19 Vaccine: What Should Pharmacies Do Right Now? National Community Pharmacists Association. 10/02/20. Web. Accessed: 10/05/20. https://ncpa.org/ newsroom/qam/2020/10/02/qam-ed-covid-19-vaccine- what-should-pharmacies-do-right-now 4 No Excuses Immunization Toolkit. National Community Pharmacists Association. N.d. Web. Accessed: 10/05/20. https://ncpa.org/no-excuses-vaccination-toolkit COVID-19 Vaccine: Is Your Pharmacy Ready?