Independent Insights, a Health Mart Podcast

Episode 8: Vaccines in the Fast Lane: Operational Tips from a Pharmacy Owner

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In this episode, we sit down with Kyle Beyer, a seasoned pharmacist and owner of two thriving independent pharmacies. Tune in as he divulges best practices on streamlining vaccine operations, optimizing workflow, and leveraging community relationships to boost vaccination rates. Then we’re joined by McKesson Health Mart pharmacist, Januari Lewis to dig into specific Health Mart resources for those of you that are Health Mart pharmacies looking to expand your vaccine services or implement a new vaccine solution in your pharmacy. Whether you're looking to start offering vaccines or enhance your current process, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to elevate your pharmacy's services.

Please note that since the recording of this episode, the U.S. Health and Human Services extended the PREP Act amendments, allowing pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians to independently administer vaccines and provide test-to-treat services for COVID-19 until December 31, 2029. You can read more about this extension in the December 11th, 2024, Federal Register here:
Federal Register :: 12th Amendment to Declaration Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19. 

Host
Suzanne Feeney, PharmD
VP, Pharmacy Retail Operations
McKesson / Health Mart

Guests
Kyle Beyer, PharmD
Owner / Pharmacy Manager
North Shore Pharmacy & Compounding Center

Januari Lewis, PharmD
Sr Manager, Strategy & Implementation
McKesson / Health Mart


Health Mart franchise members can access the following resources:


The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of Health Mart, McKesson or its affiliates or subsidiaries ("McKesson”). The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the rendering of clinical, legal or other professional advice by McKesson.

Suzanne: [00:00:00] Welcome to Independent Insights, a McKesson Health Mart podcast focused on independent pharmacy. My name is Suzanne Feeney, and I'm a pharmacist on the McKesson Health Mart team.

In my role, I'm fortunate that I get to collaborate with Health Mart pharmacies across nine states in the Midwest. And one of the favorite parts of my role, I've said this before on this podcast, is visiting with our independent pharmacies. Um, As we're recording this today, most pharmacies are really focused on immunizing in their communities.

So they're busy. I see RSV, COVID, and flu vaccines, keeping everybody busy when I'm out there visiting. So in my most recent travels, I went up to Wisconsin, and I was able to visit with Kyle Beyer, who's a pharmacist and owner of two pharmacies in urban Wisconsin. And Kyle's pharmacy was completely hopping with community members, walking in to get their immunizations, walking out, it was like a well oiled machine.

Yet during this time there, Kyle was able to step away with me, we had some really great conversation, and I noticed that his immunizations were separate from his dispensing area. So as we were talking, I [00:01:00] really learned so much. So many unique practices regarding immunizations. Like this was operational excellence happening, and tons of community members getting vaccinated.

I loved it. So I really wanted to be sure to share this with all of you who are listening in today. 

Are you looking for ideas to grow independent pharmacy and make a greater impact in your community? Look no further. Welcome to Independent Insights, the podcast brought to you by Health Mart. Episodes delve into a wide range of topics to provide you with the practical strategies, expert insights, and inspiring stories to help you and your pharmacy excel.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of Health Mart, McKesson or its affiliates or subsidiaries, McKesson. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the rendering of clinical, legal, or other professional advice by McKesson. You are responsible for reviewing and complying with all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations that govern the operation of your business, [00:02:00] including laws that apply to businesses generally, laws that apply to employers, and laws that specifically regulate the practice of pharmacy.

Suzanne: So today I'm really fortunate to have with me pharmacist and pharmacy owner, Kyle Beyer. Welcome Kyle. 

Kyle: Hey, thanks for having me. 

Suzanne: So to kick us off, tell us a little bit about your pharmacies.

I know they're very diverse business practices and very busy. You do a lot of different services and I've had the opportunity to see both locations and they're very different, I feel like, right? One feels more urban, one feels a little bit more suburban, yet both very robust and I know they work together in synergy.

So just tell us a little bit about your pharmacies. 

Kyle: Yeah, I would love to. So North shore pharmacies, have had the name since about 2020. Both were previous independent pharmacies that I had acquired. And now we're both under the North shore pharmacy name. My first location, the one that we visited at Suzanne was Shorewood, Wisconsin.

And I'd say a standalone building, and a [00:03:00] very traditional retail type pharmacy. We sell snacks, we sell OTC, a light DME selection, we've had a liquor license there since the 40's so we sell beer and wine and I know there's some other independents out there that still do that.

So we're much more of a neighborhood pharmacy. It feels kind of like that. We're in a very dense, urban community. My other location we acquired in 2022, it's in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, a smaller community, and was traditionally a compounding lab has dual taxonomy, so we're considered a combo shop.

So we do a lot of group home and long term care business out of that location. We have a much larger DME selection there and a smaller retail footprint, I would say. But that locations also shares square footage with a dialysis location, [00:04:00] chiropractor, dentists. So we're in this little medical complex as you will.

 So they both feel different, but have similar service sets for the most part, but we like the compliment that they both have. 

Suzanne: Yeah, just really diverse practice settings. We could have a whole podcast on your compounding or your combo shop or all of that you have going on. So really cool pharmacies.

But one of the things I saw when I was at North Shore location was just again, that whole workflow that you had set up where patients are coming in off the street to get their vaccines and totally separate from your dispensing area. Yet it all worked together. So that's kind of how we started our conversation because it was really busy, but just such a well oiled machine.

So share a little bit about your scheduling concept and how you handle both appointments and walk ins in your pharmacy and what this does for workflow.

Kyle: We dove into in early 2021 when the federal supply of COVID vaccine was starting [00:05:00] to get issued to pharmacies across the nation.

And prior to that, we had immunized. We had a flu season right before that. And had just started utilizing Calendly, which I know other independents out there have used and embedded some scheduling software into our website. We used it for appointments for flu and learned a lot about it. And as COVID vaccine demand really took off a lot of independent pharmacies' pinch point was just the volume of phone calls, the volume of interest. There wasn't enough vaccine. And early on, we realized the only way this is going to work is if we keep Folks scheduling on our website we'll help the folks that don't have internet access we'll help the folks that aren't tech savvy enough to do it, but we need everybody else scheduling on the website and kind of [00:06:00] through that first and second dose of COVID.

And then when the boosters came out and then as the following flu season hit and we really had a ton of increased demand, just up for vaccines in general. We really got refined on using Calendly and how we set the number of appointments that we set per half hour, how far out we allow people to schedule.

I think we had talked while we were in the store that we only put out a rolling 14 days of appointments. Our take on that is we could schedule out the whole flu season when we get vaccine in mid August. But the likelihood folks are going to keep that appointment is just so low. So by putting it two weeks out, we find that our cancellation rate is a lot lower.

Our no show rate is almost nil. Also lets us react to supply distortion. So if we get vaccine in but it [00:07:00] shipped warm and we have to get replacement from the supplier, we're not having to schedule or reschedule a whole bunch of vaccine, we've got a little bit more flexibility there. So I've been a huge proponent of Calendly and its ability to kind of schedule our lives for vaccine appointments in store.

Suzanne: I love it because I feel like a lot of people it's kind of this impulse, like, oh, I have some free time. I want to go get a vaccine. And so if you have people where they're kind of forced to schedule way far in advance they may go somewhere else where they can find it sooner. But yet you're able to strike that balance between immediate gratification and getting in there quickly, but allowing your pharmacy to have a proactive workflow and support hundreds of shots a day.

Kyle: Correct. And it also allows us too to plan staffing. And, as you saw that day, we have a part time nurse that works for us seasonally and handles a ton of our daily in store vaccinations so that it truly [00:08:00] is outside of our pharmacist workflow. They'll come help outside of the core hours, but really we have it scheduled so that her day is spent only immunizing.

Leads to better patient experience. Everyone has the story of the super stressed out pharmacist that doesn't have time to fill prescriptions, let alone immunize you. And by having just that dedicated person up front, the patient experience is better. 

Suzanne: And you still have a contingency plan with walk ins.

I think we talked about that a little bit too when I was visiting your pharmacy. If someone comes in and they're there and they really need a flu shot or COVID shot or whatever it is, how do you handle that?

Kyle: Yeah, sure. So, what my team's taught right before the flu season, is if they call or it's before the season, you need an appointment.

If they happen to be in the store and they ask about it, we're going to take [00:09:00] care of you and you have to strike that balance between availability and scheduling. But we know that if Mrs. Smith is 80 years old and it's not easy for her to get to the store, we're not making her leave. Go make an appointment to come back in a day and a half, so we'll take care of her there.

And that's why our pharmacists are also at the ready to take care of those appointments. If our nurse up front is fully busy with the scheduled appointments. 

Suzanne: I love that plan flexibility. And you mentioned team training, which is something we didn't talk about, but if you don't mind touching on a little bit now, what do you do to prepare your staff to be able to handle the shifted workflow during the respiratory virus season?

Kyle: Yeah, it is crowd control. You saw, you were there for maybe an hour. I think we had 15 to 25 appointments during that time, which is 15 to 25 people walking in our [00:10:00] door. Our buildings from 1940, it's not a huge pharmacy, just the physical space limitations are important. So being efficient there is important, but we keep them to the front of the store.

So they walk in, they're seeing a sign that says, go sit down if you're here for a vaccine appointment. Our team's going to them because if you're also a patient coming in to pick up your prescription, you don't want to walk in and see 10 people in line. That's just such a discouraging visual. 

One or two people in line. That's a different feeling. So it's really teaching my team quickly. If they see more than a couple of people in line, they're assessing, Hey, Mr. Bob, are you here for a vaccine or a pickup? Oh, I'm here for a vaccine. Oh, well go grab a seat. Rachel will be with you shortly. 

So there's also just the human element of, you can put as many signs up as you want. Many people aren't going to see [00:11:00] them or read them. And so you have to have just that training of your staff, make it sound normal, make it just part of the conversation that, oh, no big deal. You don't need to stand up, go sit down. Somebody will be with you. And that helps our prescription patients not get too stressed out by thinking that the line is going to take forever either.

Suzanne: Yeah, that's a really great point about the prescription patients. I do have to give a plug on Health Mart University for our health Mart pharmacy teams listening out there. There are some really nice. Technician Specialist course to help train your staff with vaccines in this season.

So I did want to just reference, and we'll put a link in the show notes to the vaccine coordinator course. As you were talking, Kyle, that popped to mind. So I wanted to give a plug for that. I also laughed a little bit because you said, you know, there's human error with the signage. And I thought you had a really great signage.

And, and I'm chuckling because when I walked in, I tried to walk like in through the outdoor and one of your patients who was in the flow of vaccines was like, nope, wrong side. And they pointed right to the sign. And so I think you've done a [00:12:00] really nice job of training the community and they can really feel supported with staff and then with where to go in the pharmacy.

One of the things that we talked about, and I noticed this on your website too, is just making sure that when community members are coming in, maybe their impetus to get in there is to get their flu shot or their COVID shot or RSV shot.

 But you do have a list of other vaccines, shingles, pneumonia, tetanus, in this concept of year round vaccine program, I know you have that at your pharmacy, but obviously this is a busy time. And one of the things we talked about that I really liked as a clinician was, you know, you had that pharmacist out front, you have that healthcare provider, they're offering the vaccines that they signed up for, but you're also making sure that while they're there, you're offering other vaccines that they need based on the guidelines. I wanted to comment on that because I thought that was a really important component of when they're in there getting these shots, let's make sure they're up to date on everything else. So how did that come about?

Is that something you guys have always done. Maybe tell us a little bit of insights around that.

Kyle: Yeah. We give [00:13:00] immunizations year round. So Mrs. Smith comes in for a shingles. That could be March, that could be April, that could be the middle of flu season, and we're going to have those available, but you get this unique opportunity in September, October, November, for the most part, where folks that may not even come to your pharmacy for anything else other than vaccine are in your store, and they have other disease states, and they have other vaccines that they're due for, and you have them in your chair with that opportunity to talk to them so That threshold for them to agree to it is very low because they're there.

But you still have to make the recommendation. They're not looking at it. And this is even at, in a community. And we talked a lot about this. This is very urban community, highly educated, highly immunized anyway. Cause there's other communities where that's a real challenge and the conversation you're having around it is different.

But, [00:14:00] specific to our Shorewood community, it's really just making them aware and educating them what it is, what it prevents and then the cost of it. So when we talk about tech training, all of my technicians have a very clear understanding of which vaccines covered on Part D, which vaccines covered on Part B, if they have Medicare advantage, what that means, what vaccines are indicated for what age groups, because those questions don't all have to come to the pharmacist. That is just a table of knowledge that a technician can recite back to the patient. But when they're in your chair, and you're looking at your immunization registry reports. Our nurse or a pharmacist, whoever's the dedicated immunizer that day, they're going to come in 30 minutes before appointments start and get their schedule of patients for that day.

And then we have a workstation in our [00:15:00] immunization area and they're pulling them up in the immunization registry and seeing what else they're due for. So they're putting little notes next to their schedule. Ask Mrs. Smith about this. Ask Roger about that. And it just is a very clean way. And it's just like when you're at your doctor's office, they're checking that while you're sitting in the room saying you're due for this, you're due for that.

Now, the differences are turn around on providing that vaccines even quicker. You're not there for a 60 minute appointment, like your doctor's office. 

They're there for a 15 minute vaccine appointment. I have it in the fridge. I can give it to you right now. So that helps us, it helps our patients, it helps public health, so we're happy to provide that and we get lots of positive feedback from our patients that we keep it simple that way, so it's not extra work for them.

Suzanne: [00:16:00] Yeah, you really do. I mean, I witnessed that. One of the things that I picked out was just how well you educate your pharmacy team and make sure everybody really understands which vaccines are covered, with what insurance. And I think that's one of the key changing points that maybe a lot of prescribers are not aware of, or even pharmacists, is some of the shift we're seeing with preventative vaccines from Part B to Part D.

And tetanus is one in particular. I know that prescribers are no longer able to bill for the preventative tetanus shot that community members need, and that's because it's moved to a Part D vaccine from a Part B vaccine. So I think that's a real opportunity for pharmacies to raise awareness of that and to collaborate within their communities and work with prescribers. I know how far we've come with pharmacists providing immunizations and pharmacy technicians having a role, but that is still one of the hesitations that I'll see when I'm out talking with pharmacies is, uh, you know, I worry about, how do I do this in collaboration with my local prescriber community where it doesn't feel like I'm competing for services?

[00:17:00] So I think that is a really nice plug in that pharmacies can provide in raising awareness and then also being able to help with that preventative vaccine. So I don't know if you have any other comments around prescriber collaboration or that shift from Part B as in boy to D that we've seen, but we just wanted to give you the opportunity to comment there.

Kyle: Yeah, I think we're fortunate in our respective communities. And this is at both stores that we're surrounded by, whether it's private practice or health systems that are very, what'd be the right way to say like pharmacist aware. So they're aware of what Pharmacists can do, they want pharmacists doing that.

Our primary care physicians in our area they're very happy to have that logistics and ordering and billing off to pharmacy. So, many of our referrals do come from primary care and all it takes is one patient to get a surprise bill because they got their shingles vaccine [00:18:00] at their primary care office when they shouldn't have, and that's, that story's told. I think five years ago, that was a bigger problem. Now, I think there's a lot more education where these clinical primary care clinics, health systems are staying out of Part D as in drug vaccines. But it's also cleaned up a lot of the benefit. Like when I, was it a year or two ago that shingles vaccines used to have a co pay, which meant if you had your first does in January, you could be looking at a 200 - 300 dollar bill depending on what your deductible was. And there was this game of, if you get your second dose before the end of the year, you're going to save yourself hundreds. And it was just, it added complication to it. I do think the billing of vaccines has simplified over the last 15 years that I've been a pharmacist, but particularly in the last few years.

And I think COVID helped with that. And I [00:19:00] think a lot of pharmacies got Part B clearinghouse billing that didn't have it before. And that helped them access a lot of patients on straight Medicare B that they weren't able to bill previously. So I think that's been helpful as well. 

Suzanne: Yeah, that definitely feels more commonplace within pharmacy now. This has been a great discussion, Kyle. I really just appreciate you sharing your unique perspective and how operationalizing immunizations in your pharmacy has worked so well for you. We all know that immunizations is really one of the most cost effective measures for prevention of infectious disease. And during, which you referenced multiple times, but during that the covid pandemic, which we're coming out of the public readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act certainly expanded the authority of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and interns to administer vaccines and brought a lot of attention to our professions role in this area.

So Health Mart pharmacies across the nation and dependents really are providing immunizations in their communities and their homes and patient homes and [00:20:00] clinics and in so many other ways. So I will say, as the prep act comes to an end at the close of 2024, the close of this year, just a plug for pharmacists to really keep abreast of your state regulations regarding vaccine practices in your state that you practice in.

Check in with your board of pharmacy, make sure you're updated on all those things. State specific regulations that are specific to immunizations, because we know that most of the U. S. Population is residing within 5 miles of a pharmacy, enabling access to vaccines with other health care services is really important.

And what we wanted to do today was talk to somebody who's doing this well, has been doing it for a long time. And really just share insights with all of you for how you can grow your immunization practice and hopefully you took away some operational ideas and nuggets to make this happen. So, Kyle, thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing.

And, I really appreciate your time. 

Kyle: Yeah, thanks so much. I appreciate you having me. 

Suzanne: So special thanks to Kyle and his pharmacy and together, we can make a lasting impact and shape the future of pharmacy.. 

At Foster Thrive, we [00:21:00] believe over the counter products should go beyond the box, and that wellness and being well go hand in hand. So we make our own products with high quality ingredients, make it easy to find those that meet your precise needs, and stand behind you with intelligence and compassion at every turn of your health journey.

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You're listening to Independent Insights, a McKesson Health Mart podcast with host Suzanne Feeney, VP Pharmacy Retail Operations for McKesson/Health Mart. And guest Kyle Beyer, pharmacist and pharmacy owner of North Shore Pharmacy. And guest Januari Lewis pharmacist and Senior Manager of Strategy and Implementation for McKesson Health Mart. 

Let's continue. 

Suzanne: So welcome back to our listeners. 

We were just able to hear from Kyle at North Shore Pharmacy in Wisconsin about his practices to really optimize immunizations in both of his independent [00:22:00] pharmacies. And now I'm really excited to introduce McKesson Health Mart pharmacist, Januari Lewis. So for those of you who are out there who are not immunizing or maybe looking to expand your vaccine portfolio, or really even just stay abreast of some of the changes that are happening with year end, we're really going to dig in and spend some time talking with Januari here about specific Health Mart resources for those of you that are Health Mart pharmacies.

Welcome, Januari. We're super excited to have you today. 

Januari: I'm super excited to be here. Thank you for having me. 

Suzanne: So for those of you who maybe haven't met Januari, she is behind the scenes and has been a member of our McKesson Health Mart team for quite a while. She does a lot to really support independent pharmacies.

 And we're lucky to have her here today. Januari, hoping you could just tell us a little bit about your current role at Health Mart.

Januari: Absolutely. I serve as a senior manager for strategy and implementation, and my role is to help make sure that Health Marts have what they need to succeed in various patient care service areas.[00:23:00] 

This includes immunizations. We have a strong offering to help our pharmacists best support the health care needs of their patients.

Suzanne: We really do have a lot of great tools and we're going to dig into those here in a minute, but before we get to that, Januari, I know that we've been talking a lot about the expiration of the prep act amendments.

And for those of us who are in practice every day, we might even forget that they're out there because we've just been going about our business for the past four years, since the pandemic hit, but with this expiration of the prep act coming at the end of this year. The end of 2024, what is important for pharmacists to know about this and then maybe what resources are out there for Health Marts to support them during the transition.

Januari: So that's a big one because the key to it is that it expires at the end of this year. This is like in a few weeks, and so if you've been used to it, it's like ingrained in you that you can just do what the prep facts allows, but no, you can't. It's going to be super crucial for pharmacies to make sure that they're compliant with their state specific laws.

So [00:24:00] that means knowing does your state have a standing order? Does the pharmacist have independent authority? Or do you need an immunization CPA? Luckily at Health Mart, We are ahead of the game on that. We have resources to support our franchisees, including CPA options, resources for state requirement review, and then also something we introduced last year called the Immunization Resource Kit that's located right on MyHealthMart.com.

Suzanne: And I know one of my favorite tools, and I wish we could put like a picture of this in here, but within myHealthMart, when our franchisees log into their platform, they're able to go to an immunization section, and it really spells out, what the resources are by the states that their pharmacies are in.

So that is a really helpful feature that I can point to, but because this is a podcast, I can't show a picture. But you definitely hit on a lot of those resources and I think just awareness of what's coming. So thanks for that. I know we have Health Mart pharmacies and we're listening in today and are maybe looking for some more support on starting and immunizing practice at their pharmacy. And [00:25:00] we have resources that are available to support them. And one of my favorite things is what's called our Immunization Practice Starter. I kind of refer to this as the boot camp. And I think it's great for a lot of different audiences for people who are maybe coming into independent pharmacy from working in a chain where a lot of things were managed behind the scenes.

 I think it's great for anybody who's looking to start an immunization practice at their pharmacy, or for those who really want to dig in and be able to do a bit more. I know sometimes people start off billing commercial only, and they want to move that into billing Part B, especially with some of the changes that are coming with vaccines. So I think there's so many different use cases for it, but if you could just tell us a little bit about what it is and how it works, that'd be fantastic.

Januari: I'm glad we had something in common because the Immunization Practice Starter is hands down one of my favorite solutions. I mean, it's meant for everyone.

It's from people who were like, learned how to immunize coming straight out of school, but they've never really done it. People who maybe were at a chain. So they immunize are comfortable doing it, but [00:26:00] the chain kind of did all the work. So they don't really know how to set it up. You know, there are people who maybe this is their first time, they just took the course and they're super nervous. It doesn't even matter. And then there's also that special group that, well, we were doing immunizations and we kind of got busy, things changed and we really need a refresher because we just need to make sure we're up to date. The Immunization Practice Starter is for everyone.

So I'll tell you, this is the best part about this particular program. It used to be something else and we redid it. Updated it and made it to where it's on demand. So now there are like small bite sized modules that you can go in when you have time. So let's say that there's like early in the morning, you've got 15, 20 minutes, you can knock one out.

Or it's there's that little break between the lunch rush and the after work crowd and you've got a little bit more time. Or maybe you're just at home because it's accessible from anywhere where you can sign into myhealthmart.com. And here's the even better part than that. These little 15 to 20 minute videos, they're not just made for one person.

When you enroll your entire store [00:27:00] gets access, meaning that they can sign and it can be you, your staff pharmacist. It can be your vaccine coordinator, even your delivery person, because they're going to be putting things away, maybe stocking the fridge, knowing how to rotate stock, the person who orders your supplies.

Everybody can watch it. They don't have to watch all of it, but they can watch the parts that apply to them so that they know exactly what's going on in your entire staff is knowledgeable, and they get a well rounded education. I mean, it covers everything from setting up the immunization area, tells you how to store your vaccines, how to put them away, what to do in an emergency situation, like if your power goes out, what supplies you need to order.

And even how to order vaccines in the first place. It's a really comprehensive program. And again, it's only one fee that covers everyone in your store for an entire 12 month period. 

Suzanne: I heard you say a couple of things that really stood out to me. Bite sized, on demand modules that you can access from anywhere you can log in.

I love that piece of it cause we're constantly learning and we need to fit that in to those pockets of [00:28:00] open time because we know independent pharmacists are super busy. You said that any of the pharmacy team can take. The different modules, and they're not required to take all of them.

So you can say, hey, this pharmacy technician really supports us in marketing, or this one supports us in billing, and they can get a refresh or be oriented to whichever area they're helping to support. 

Januari: And again, you have it for 12 months. So let's say that you listened and you didn't, you think, Oh, I got it. Then you get faced in this situation and you don't like, oh, I don't remember what they told me. You can immediately go back to that module, go to that little 15 to 20 minute chunk and replay it on demand. It is meant for the working pharmacist or the working pharmacist staff to be able to go and get exactly what they need. 

Suzanne: That's a great way to learn because you learn about something that happens in practice and then you can go back and make sure that you didn't miss anything or think through and self assess, what you learned by applying it.

And if I remember correctly, there are even some live Q& A sessions. Is that accurate?

Januari: That is 100 percent accurate. There are actually two things that make the immunization practice started even [00:29:00] better. And one of them is that live Q&A support. So on the third Wednesday of every month, there is a webinar that you can call in and ask your immunization specific questions.

Things that you heard about in the modules, that you have more questions on, wanted clarification, and you've actually got a team that joins the call that can help you with billing, with patient care, with marketing. All these wonderful things, and it's every single month that they have this live webinar.

But you don't have to wait on the webinar. The second piece, mentioned earlier is the immunization resource kit. It too is available on myHealthMart.Com. You go to clinical, click on immunizations then there's a band aid that says immunization resource kit and when you click there It's set up just like those modules are set up broken into different sections and you can go in there you can get links to popular resources.

You can get things that you can print out like protocols, SOP templates, and just other things that really help you to put your learning into practical use. So those things make this a really [00:30:00] truly beneficial experience.

Suzanne: And to have that support for a whole year is really wonderful.

Great stuff. I want to shift gears a little bit Januari and talk around some of the perceived barriers we see out there with immunizations. As I was looking some things up in preparation to talk with you today, I know that over my history of 20 years of being a pharmacist, our flu immunization rate has always kind of hovered right around like 55 ish percent.

And I was really surprised when I pulled that stat from the CDC today to see that in the past 12 months adults who are 18 and older who got a flu vaccine is actually 48%. So I feel like I've seen that dip over my career and I'm being blasted by the news this morning that measles cases are surging worldwide, and that we actually are no longer at herd immunity in some areas.

So we're seeing, again, those surge in cases, especially in young children. So I say all this to say there's such a need for immunizations in the community and pharmacies are just so perfectly placed for this. I know a lot of pharmacies that are not yet immunizing. I feel like some of the [00:31:00] hesitation in those I talk to is that they're really afraid to take the plunge because of prescriber relationships.

And I completely understand that when you're working with them in your local communities, or many of the pharmacies I see are actually within a healthcare system, they have an independent pharmacy or even part of a clinic, see quite a lot of that in the Detroit area. And so I've had some wonderful conversations with these pharmacies about ways that they can kind of dip their toes into the water and help support vaccine rates in their communities.

And it also supports the health of their business. I know what I see is a lot of times there's a really great opportunity to say, hey, what is in it for the prescriber that I can help them with?

And so maybe that's, I offer vaccines during respiratory virus season when everybody's really overflowed with that. Maybe it's I outreach into my community and look outside my four walls at different facilities that I could go offer vaccines to. Or even most recently, I've seen success with [00:32:00] working with the prescribers to say, hey, we're starting to see a shift in Medicare billing for tetanus vaccines where that goes through Part D not B.

And so if it's preventative, the prescribers may not have a way to bill for that. So the pharmacies can start to create that relationship, maybe where they haven't in the past, to help solve community problems and prescriber problems. So I don't know if you have any thoughts on that or what's been your experience, but I know that's definitely top of mind and one of the conversations I'm having quite a bit with those pharmacies who are not yet immunizing.

Januari: I'm going to tell you, Suzanne, you actually just said it all. The best thing you said is that 48 percent . So you've got to go, what's going on here?

People have been getting flu shots forever. What's the difference? The difference is convenience. I don't really want to take the time to have to make a doctor's appointment I have to wait, you know, a week or two to go in for a vaccine, but I do have to go to my pharmacy. I've got to get my medication. So I understand.

And I love you saying that people are afraid to take the plunge and I use the tongue and cheek, but realistically, you're not going to upset the local [00:33:00] prescriber. Nine times out of ten, that prescriber is busy. While they would love to be able to offer immunizations, they don't make a habit of calling their patients to say, hey, come in for this immunization.

They call them and say, it's time for your annual, it's time for these other things. If you happen to be here, then yes, let's go ahead and get you your immunization, but they need to work on all the people who have acute or chronic conditions. This is your time to shine and have an impact on your community.

 You already know the patient. You've got that person right in front of you getting that prescription from you. So while they're waiting on it to be filled, there's no better time to protect them because as soon as they walk out the door, who knows what germ is lurking outside or even inside these days that can make them sick here.

You can show why you are one of America's most trusted health care professionals have that conversation with your patient. Explain to them why it's important. Talk to them what you're preventing them from. And when you do that is going to build up that level of trust that they already have in you.

It fortifies it and it's saving them time. Everywhere these [00:34:00] days, but especially in small towns, prescribers are overloaded. You see this with nurse practitioners coming on the scene and PAs, everybody's trying to help out because there's such a need. Pharmacists are so well positioned that they can help take some of that load away so that prescribers can work on treating those day to day illnesses while we look at it from a preventative care standpoint.

 If we can go down to that long term care facility, that's down the road and do immunizations there, we can be involved in local community fairs. We can post things like a lot of colleges now require their students to get vaccinations before they come to college. We can advertise, you know, say, we've got this here for sending your kid off to college.

Get their vaccination on their way to send them off to school. So this is a great opportunity to show that pharmacy is that utility knife player that can help support the community in more ways than just prescription care.

 We're there. We're perfectly positioned and we've got to do something because we don't need this 48 continuing to go down. We need to do our part to bring it back up. 

Suzanne: Absolutely. I love that you said know [00:35:00] your community. And so if you're positioned in a college, if you have skilled nursing.

 How can you really best support your community? And you hit on this, the convenience part of it is just number one. Like, as we're having this conversation, I have two kids and I'm like, oh my goodness, I haven't gotten them their flu shots yet. Because the thought of scheduling another appointment and getting them into the prescriber just, that feels like a lot with how crazy our schedules are.

But I know this weekend I can pop by one of the pharmacies here and just get it done and I don't have to be beholden to a specific time. So I really love that personally. Lots of great reasons why to get into this and not to have that hesitation. I will wrap things up a little bit.

 Januari, you spoke to so many great resources and we'll put what links we can into the show notes here, but just ending by recapping and saying that despite how accessible all of our community pharmacies are and widespread vaccine availability, we still see these suboptimal vaccine rates.

And so we know that most of the U S resides within five miles of a pharmacy and have access to those vaccines. So really pharmacists out there, make sure that you're staying in touch [00:36:00] and using your resources. So you're abreast of what's happening within your state regulations with some of these end of the year changes.

And if you're a Health Mart pharmacy, absolutely check out your resources on my myHealthMart.Com. So Januari, thank you so much for your time today. We really appreciate you being here. 

Januari: I know you said it, but I'm going to restate it just so that everybody has it.

 They say that you have to stay ready so you don't have to get ready. Cause that prep act is going to end soon. And this time, this is called a cough and cold season. We may have flu, pneumonia, RSV and people are still getting COVID. So it's super important to make sure that we're ready and we've got that Immunization Practice Starter for you.

If you haven't quite taken the jump, it's it doesn't take long to get started and to go through it. It's out there. It's a no brainer to get started today. So please take a moment. We'll put the links in there for you to hop on myHealthMart.com. And know that you honestly can get enrolled same day within 10 minutes to get started on the Immunization Practice Starter.

We can get you an immunization CPA within 48 business hours in most states, and we can set you up to do bi-directional reporting as well, all just by going to [00:37:00] myhealthmart.com, finding out more information and just taking that first step to get started. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me here.

And we're excited to be able to serve any of the Health Marts who are looking to get started. Just click the link and we will be there to help you every step of the way. 

Suzanne: So to our listeners, we hope you'll subscribe to Health Mart Independent Insights wherever you listen to podcasts.

New episodes are dropped weekly. Monday shows are clinical updates with CE available for Health Mart pharmacists. And once a month, I'll bring you updates like these on topics impacting practice. Together, let's make a lasting impact and shape the future of pharmacy.

Subscribe to Independent Insights wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes are released weekly. Together, let's make a lasting impact and shape the future of pharmacy.