Prepare for the 2021-2022 Immunization Season with EQUIPP®.
Influenza activity in the 2020-2021 flu season was lower than during any previous influenza season since at least 1997, according to the CDC, yet respiratory viruses have returned to near-normal levels as of summer 2021.
For more information on the flu metrics from last year please visit the Changes in Influenza and Other Respiratory Virus Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2020–2021.
The Value of Pharmacy Immunizations
1.
Educated Workforce
As of December 2018, more than 340,000 pharmacists have been trained to administer vaccines across the patient lifespan.1
2.
Increased Facetime with Patients
People on average visit the pharmacy 35 times per year, (almost 10 times more than their doctors.) 2
3.
Lower Healthcare Costs
Pharmacies had lower average direct costs paid per adult vaccination than physician offices and other medical settings—by 16%-26% and 11%-20%, respectively—when both health plan and enrollees’ perspectives were considered. 3
4.
Pneumonia Vaccination Status
Pneumonia vaccinations could help the CDC’s Healthy People 2020 goal to “increase immunization rates and reduce preventable infectious diseases.” Current stats show: about 900,000 people get pneumococcal pneumonia every year, leading to as many as 400,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths. Less than 64 percent of adults 65 and older have received pneumococcal vaccines. 4
1 Levy, Sandra (2019) “Immunization nation: Pharmacists flex their clinical muscles, build revenue” June 26; https://www.drugstorenews.com/pharmacy/immunization-nation-pharmacists-flex-their-clinical-muscles-build-revenue/ 2 People on average visit the pharmacy 35 times per year, (almost 10 times more than their doctors.)2 https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/directions-in-pharmacy/2014/august2014/pharmacists-as-influencers-of-patient-adherence- 3 Singhal, Puneet K. and Zhang Dongmu (2014) “Costs of Adult Vaccination in Medical Settings and Pharmacies: An Observational Study” Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy JMCP September 2014 Vol. 20, No. 9 https://www.amcp.org 4 Winegarden, Wayne (2018) “Promoting Access and Lowering Costs in Health Care: The Case of Empowering Pharmacists to Increase Adult Vaccination Rates” Pacific Research Institute, April; https://www.pacificresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/AdultVaccination_F_web.pdf
Do You Have a Game Plan for the Upcoming Flu Season?
Prepare for the 2021-2022 Immunization Season with EQuIPP®. The CDC reports flu activity was unusually low throughout the 2020-2021 flu season both in the United States and globally, yet testing levels were high. Do you have a game plan for the 2021 - 2022 season?
Pharmacies interested in tracking their influenza patients can do so within EQuIPP®. EQuIPP® displays select payers' patient outliers who have yet to receive their flu shot, allowing you to identify opportunities for patient outreach and immunization. By clicking on the outliers button with the magnifying glass in the screenshot below, you can view potential immunization opportunities.
The Annual Influenza Vaccination Measure focuses on the influenza vaccination rate for health plan patients 18 years or older. It coordinates medical claims data with pharmacy data to calculate a performance score (to help account for your patients who may have already received the vaccination through their provider office). Members are attributed to the pharmacy filling the majority of their medications.
Additional Opportunity! Annual Influenza Vaccination Patient Designation
EQuIPP® also has the ability to show if a patient has received a flu vaccine by displaying a designation in each measure that these patients are currently outliers. This fits directly into the pharmacist’s workflow and draws attention to immunize those patients who may be at higher risk of flu related complications and hospitalizations.
With the designations above, pharmacists are able to understand at a glance if a patient has had a flu shot already or if one should be administered.
Immunization Measures Explained
Help your communities stay healthy by giving vaccinations at your pharmacy. The EQuIPP™ Educational Video “Immunization Measures Explained” offers a few strategy tips for you and your pharmacy staff to increase vaccinations. It also briefly discusses the CDC adult vaccination guidelines. Click to watch the video, which is part of the EQuIPP™ Educational Video Library.
PQS Annual Influenza Vaccination Rate & Pneumonia Vaccination Status for Older Adults in EQuIPP®
If you want to learn more about the Annual Influenza Vaccination Rate and the Pneumonia Vaccination Status for Older Adults within EQuIPP®, there is now a quick reference guide that explains both measures and provides a step by step process for analyzing and reviewing outliers.
Interested in Learning More?
We encourage all interested pharmacies, health plans, PBMs and other business organizations to visit our contact us page. Please use the button below.