Increase pharmacy revenue and help your patients prepare for flu season each year by continuously improving your vaccination program. During a year predicted for higher than average numbers for multiple respiratory viruses,  your pharmacy is needed to support preventative care. Whether you’re just getting started or are looking to scale, here are some tips to help you generate more immunization revenue with a vaccination program.

Getting Started With Your Vaccination Program

If you don’t currently offer immunizations (or all immunizations available) at your pharmacy, now is the time to do so, especially with flu season around the corner. Here’s how to get started.

Do your regulation research

While all 50 states permit pharmacies to provide immunizations, each state has its own laws and limitations. These could include the types of vaccines you can administer, the required age of the patient, and further authorization and reporting requirements needed.

Get trained and certified  

Before you start administering vaccines, your staff will need to be certified. It’s important to research all accreditation requirements needed and ensure your entire team is adherent to them. There are immunization courses usually available from:

• American Pharmacists Association 
• Certificate Training Program Host Partners
• State Pharmacy Associations
• Local universities and Schools of Pharmacy

Your staff should also be certified in CPR/First Aid and basic life support (BLS) and take OSHA training for bloodborne pathogens. 

Prep your pharmacy

Now that your staff is properly trained, you can start to think about:

• Order supplies: Start with a sample standing order to help keep you on track and make sure you have enough medical supplies on hand.
• Research storage and handling: Ensure that each vaccine is stored safely at the correct temperature and labeled correctly.
• Establish a workflow:
• Talk your staff through your vaccine offerings, determine who will be administering them each day, and have a screening and recording system set up with access to the correct paperwork, whether digitally or on paper.

Advertise your new vaccination service

Let current patients know that you now offer vaccinations by posting on your social media accounts, and create flyers to add to customers’ bags at pick-up. Consider offering coupons for a discounted flu shot or other seasonal vaccine and make sure the announcement is front and center on indoor and outdoor signage.

How to Improve Immunization Revenue

Have a program already but aren’t seeing a return on investment? Here are a few ways to maximize pharmacy profits with your immunization offering.

Promote your flu vaccinations

Help keep your vaccination program top-of-mind with patients by:

• Leverage your pharmacy IVR greetings and on-hold messaging to promote your vaccination service.  
• Send immunization reminders by email or secure messaging at strategic times of the year, like before the summer holidays and early fall and spring for flu season.
• Create a website banner or graphic so the new offering is one of the first things visitors and patients see on your pharmacy website. 

Educate patients

Keep patients informed about the need for vaccines with year-round, relevant health content that you post to social media and add to your email newsletters. Share resources about recommended vaccinations for children and those that are especially important to help adults stay healthy at work and home.  

Identify eligible patients 

Using a digital communication platform with clinical identification capabilities, you can target patients eligible for, or potentially in need of, specific vaccinations. For patients who have already opted for basic immunizations like the flu shot, start promoting the benefits of additional vaccinations for them and their families.

Expand vaccination outreach 

Expand accessibility by hosting mobile flu clinics at diverse locations, such as educational institutions, workplaces, and community hubs. By taking vaccinations directly to these areas, you democratize access to crucial immunizations. This approach increases vaccination rates while catering to individuals’ busy schedules and minimizing travel burdens. As a result, you play a pivotal role in promoting community health and preventive care.

Optimize appointment scheduling 

To enhance patient convenience, modernize appointment procedures by implementing an online appointment booking system. This innovative approach simplifies the scheduling of flu shots and testing, allowing patients to secure appointments with ease.

Request a free demo to learn more about how the Digital Pharmacist product suite can help you promote your vaccination offerings.