It’s National Immunization Awareness Month—and with it comes an important reminder for pharmacists: it’s time to prepare for vaccination season. As the fall and winter virus season begin, pharmacies see an influx of vaccination requests and need amongst their community. And while vaccinations are a critical preventative health initiative across children and adults alike, there is great need amongst the growing elderly population to be vaccinated quickly and safely.

When a clinical message pops up in your pharmacy software—maybe it’s about reminding a patient to get vaccinated for shingles or flagging their 45-day+ gap in therapy—there’s more going on than computerized triggers and drug messaging.

As a pharmacist, you play a pivotal role in ensuring communities are protected through immunizations. It’s more important than ever to be fully prepared and equipped to offer efficient, safe, and compliant vaccination services. Read on to learn how you can improve your pharmacy’s vaccine preparedness and ensure that your staff is ready to serve your community.

Many people don’t realize that pharmacists compound drugs. My unscientific survey of several of my non-healthcare-affiliated friends revealed that almost all had no idea that pharmacists were still engaged in “chemistry,” as one friend put it. One person responded, “mortar and pestle?” which I still believe he got from Dr. Google.

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 providing vaccinations.

Is it strep or the flu? When they’re sick, your patients want the answer as soon as they can get it, and the shortage of primary care physicians makes you a logical, trusted, and easy alternative.

It’s 2024. By now, we know that clinical services are the future of pharmacy. Your pharmacy likely offers all the basics: point-of-care testing, immunizations, and chronic care management. Maybe you offer a niche service — a travel vaccine service here, a diabetes management program there.

Community pharmacists’ hard work to provide more accessible healthcare is increasingly being recognized by payers. This can provide new revenue to offset decreased prescription reimbursements.

You’ve probably noticed headlines in states like Maryland, North Dakota, and Wyoming: expansions to pharmacists' ability to bill for medical services. But how do you move from news headline to daily workflow?