August is National Immunization Awareness Month, an annual observance highlighting the importance of vaccination for children and adults. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play a pivotal role in expanding access to vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that a majority of adults receive routine vaccines from their pharmacists.
Amid recent shifts in federal vaccine policy, ASHP continues to offer resources and advocacy to help the pharmacy workforce offer vaccination services. Here are three things to know this month about ASHP and vaccination.
1. We offer patient information and education.
ASHP’s SafeMedication.com includes consumer-friendly articles, written by pharmacists, about optimizing vaccination protection over time, understanding how vaccines work, and addressing questions about thimerosal.
2. We are pressing insurers to maintain vaccine coverage despite federal policy changes.
Federal vaccine recommendations are typically tied to insurance coverage. But recent changes to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices raised concerns about ongoing insurance coverage for vaccines. ASHP is leading a joint effort urging the nation’s largest health insurers and their trade association to maintain existing coverage for vaccines without increases or changes to patient cost-sharing.
3. We are partnering with national organizations.
Last week, we helped organize an all-pharmacy townhall webinar to discuss the shifting landscape of pharmacy-based vaccine administration, including potential reimbursement issues and declining vaccine confidence. Nearly 1,000 members of the pharmacy workforce attended. Our joint efforts continue as we look at ways to preserve patient access through state-level authorization for pharmacist and pharmacy technician vaccine administration.
Additional Vaccine Resources:
- ASHP’s AHFS Drug Information
- Vaccine Integrity Project
- Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity and Progress
- Immunize.org
