Administration, Billing, and Payment for Pharmacy Student-Based Immunizations to Medicare Beneficiaries at Mobile Medicare Clinics

Joseph A Woelfel; Edward L Rogan; Rajul A Patel; Winnie Ho; Hong Van Nguyen; Emily Highsmith; Claire Chang; Nhat-Thanh Nguyen; Morgan Sato; Daniel Nguyen

doi:10.3390/pharmacy7010022

Administration, Billing, and Payment for Pharmacy Student-Based Immunizations to Medicare Beneficiaries at Mobile Medicare Clinics

Pharmacy (Basel). 2019 Feb 25;7(1):22. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy7010022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. jwoelfel@pacific.edu.
² Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. erogan@pacific.edu.
³ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. rpatel@pacific.edu.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. w_ho1@u.pacific.edu.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. h_nguyen40@u.pacific.edu.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. e_highsmith@u.pacific.edu.
⁷ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. c_chang15@u.pacific.edu.
⁸ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. n_nguyen68@u.pacific.edu.
⁹ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. m_sato4@u.pacific.edu.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacy Practice, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. d_nguyen36@u.pacific.edu.

Abstract

Training student pharmacists to administer vaccinations requires a substantial investment in vaccines, supplies, and time. Few schools of pharmacy seek out or receive any reimbursement for the provision of vaccines, despite the fact it is a covered service. This study sought to implement, deliver, and demonstrate an innovative, financially sustainable curriculum-based immunization program by trained pharmacy students as part of their experiential learning. Thirty-nine community health clinics targeting Medicare beneficiaries were conducted throughout Northern/Central California during Medicare's fall open enrollment periods between 2014⁻2016. American Pharmacists Association (APhA)-trained student pharmacists (under licensed pharmacist supervision) administered 1777 vaccinations. Vaccines were billed via a secure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)-compliant web-based portal. The total net income was $11,905 and $8032 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. Return on investment was greatest for the influenza vaccine > Tdap > pneumococcal. Pharmacy students are already being trained to provide immunizations and can utilize their skills to deliver financially viable public health programs.

Keywords: billing; experiential learning; healthy people 2020; immunization programs; mobile health units.