Maximizing Efficiency and Expansion of Vaccine Offerings in Pharmacy

An expert discusses how the pharmacist’s role in public health immunization has expanded dramatically, introducing significant operational complexities. The administrative burden is associated with a high volume of routine vaccinations. Specifically, Jeffery Goad, PharmD, MPH, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, will detail strategies for efficiently managing the intricate landscape of insurance coverage verification and billing, a major source of revenue cycle friction. A significant focus will be on mitigating the time drain of prior authorizations, including best practices for workflow integration and streamlined communication with prescribers and payers. Mastering these administrative components is essential for maximizing both profitability and patient access.

Beyond routine immunizations, the pharmacy is evolving into a key access point for specialty travel health services, representing a significant opportunity for scope expansion and revenue diversification. The framework for integrating comprehensive travel health risk assessments is important for the existing pharmacy workflow, using patient itinerary, duration, and health history to define risk profiles.

Goad will also discuss the specific prophylactic medications and travel-specific vaccines—including those for endemic diseases like typhoid, yellow fever, and malaria —that pharmacists can effectively dispense and, where authorized, prescribe. This expansion moves the pharmacist beyond dispensing and into a specialized consultative role, elevating clinical authority and maximizing professional impact.