Immunizing?

[Triangulation]

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We started talkin about this on another thread, but what do you guys think about its impact on pharmacy?

I have my opinion, but i wanna hear everyone else's.

 

[GravyRPH]

Well, it would definitely make immunizations easily accessible. Pharmacists can provide them as an extra service at your local pharmacy. Someone can walk in and get a Pneumovax, or a Flu Shot as easy as picking up some milk.
A nurses immunization service would be much harder to have access to. It would have to be run as part of a clinic, and you know how hard it is to be seen in one of those.
In a pharmacists case, it can just be another part of their regular prescription filling functions.

 

[LSUMED2006]

I personally would have liked to have included immunizations in my pharmacy, were I to have stuck with it. I do think pharmacy immunizations would be a great way to increase immunization availability, as many people simply don't want to wait hours in a clinic to recieve an immunization. However, the legal implications of someone going into anaphylactic shock due to an allergy is scary. It would only take one lawsuit to erase years of profits from immunizations. Hiring an LPN for a day say twice a month and having a well advertised immunization day, I feel, is a good alternative that could potentially bring in significant revenue.

Revenue aside, pharmacy immunizations would benefit the population as a whole by greatly increasing immunization rates and availabilities.

Jason

 

[Dr JPH]

Originally posted by LSUMED2006
Hiring an LPN for a day say twice a month and having a well advertised immunization day, I feel, is a good alternative that could potentially bring in significant revenue.

I agree that a setup like this is more beneficial.

I know Walgreens and CVS around here do the whole "Sponsor FLU Vaccines." That program works well and it gives the recipients a chance to meet their pharmacist if they havent already (as they need to come into the store) and to get the shot at the same time.

As a future physician, but speaking from pharmacy experience and a very 'pro-pharmacy autonomy' attitude, I think its justt another thing that the pharmacist needs to worry about.

Lets get more and better educated techs out there so you retail pharmacists can REALLY expand your role...patient consultation and counseling...lets increase compliance.

Just my $0.02

 

[SteveL]

Originally posted by JPHazelton
I agree that a setup like this is more beneficial.


As a future physician, but speaking from pharmacy experience and a very 'pro-pharmacy autonomy' attitude, I think its justt another thing that the pharmacist needs to worry about.

Lets get more and better educated techs out there so you retail pharmacists can REALLY expand your role...patient consultation and counseling...lets increase compliance.

Just my $0.02

Again, I'll have to agree. If anyone has ever worked in a HVP like I do, you know that giving someone an immunization is just one extra thing to stop and take time to do. I agree that it sounds good in theory, but it's just a lot of extra work. That role has already been filled. We have nurses come in and do that stuff at our store (kroger) and it works just great.

Now, in a LVP, that's another story. I worked at a CVS where we did a fourth the volume we do here (kroger) and then maybe we could have had the time to give flu shots, etc.