Smart Clinical Messaging within Pharmacy Workflows Improves Adult Immunization Rates

Empowering Retail Pharmacy Vaccination Programs Benefits Pharmacies, Patients, and Pharmaceutical Companies 

When it comes to reducing vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, federal and state governments, local public health departments, medical associations, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and retail pharmacies have several common goals, including improving adult vaccination rates. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that just under half (49.4%) of U.S. adults received an influenza vaccine during the 2021 – 2022 “flu” season. Many of these vaccines were administered at retail pharmacies. Adult vaccination rates are substantially lower, however, for other vaccines, such as pneumococcal and shingles.  

So, how can we, as an industry, make a significant impact on adult vaccination rates? Smart clinical messaging is a promising technology to facilitate the time-sensitive and accuracy-dependent process of determining vaccination eligibility in the pharmacy. As consumers continue to demand more convenient and accessible healthcare, pharmacies are transforming the perception of a medical provider by offering basic healthcare services to their customers—including immunizations.  

The pharmacy’s unique position in the care continuum combined with its broad access to large numbers of patients make it an ideal care setting for improving vaccination rates. Pharmacists are trusted healthcare providers with regular access to more consumers than any other provider. Pharmacists want to operate at the top of their license and provide more clinical services but are challenged with staffing constraints and limited by technology that can neither identify which patients are clinically and financially eligible for vaccination nor provide a streamlined workflow. Read more >