Content about Immunizations

NEW YORK — Electronic health platform Fitango is creating a three-part action plan to support childhood immunizations, the company said Monday.

Fitango announced the release of its new series of Preventative Actionplans, broken up according to age, respectively titled "Tracking Your Child's Vaccinations (0 - 2)," "Tracking Your Child's Vaccinations (4 - 6)" and "Tracking Your Child's Vaccinations (7 - 18)."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — To put Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson's speech at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' Regional Chain Conference on Monday into perspective, one may consider that pharmacists today are the leading providers of immunizations and vaccinations, whereas five years ago, they weren't involved at all.

Wasson, NACDS' current chairman, focused on the themes of innovation and engagement, citing immunizations and vaccinations as examples that "people are ready for community pharmacy to take on a greater role."

 CHICAGO — "[The year] 2012 was definitely an important year for Walgreens," Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO, told shareholders here, at the Navy Pier, Wednesday afternoon, at the chain's annual shareholder meeting. "We did make some tough choices to protect and solidify … our position for the long term," he said. "[But] our vision is crystal clear to become the first choice for health and daily living in America."

ARLINGTON, Va. — Retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid will deliver patients' immunization notifications directly to healthcare providers over the Surescripts Network for Clinical Interoperability.

Beyond the most obvious impetus for providing vaccines at the retail pharmacy level — it protects the public’s health by providing a more convenient option than making an appointment with the doctor — it also might help save money for employers.


A study recently published in the journal Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation found that when more vaccinations are administered in an alternate setting, such as a pharmacy, employers realize a greater cost benefit. 


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — "It is not from the benevolence of the patient, the pharmacist or the payer that we expect our better health, but from their regard to their own self interest." While the somewhat-modified quote is ascribable to Adam Smith, an 18th-century economist credited with the invisible hand theory, the principle holds true: Solutions developed as a part of commerce are both more efficient and more sustainable because they benefit all involved.

BOULDER, Colo. — Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy on Tuesday announced that it now is offering immunizations for influenza, whooping cough, pneumonia and shingles on a walk-in basis at all of its locations. Pharmaca pharmacists can provide the shots to any customer who requests one during open pharmacy hours.
 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens is looking to make getting a flu shot as easy as walking into any Walgreens, Duane Reade and Take Care Clinic by offering flu shots without an appointment.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday announced the expansion of its vaccination offerings in Florida to include shingles and pneumonia.

LAS VEGAS — Three successful pharmacy innovators helped set a buoyant tone for the official kickoff of McKesson’s ideaShare 2012 conference here, as they shared success stories from their own community practice settings at a panel discussion hosted by Brian Tyler, president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens is offering immunizations against whooping cough in Kansas as an epidemic of the disease spreads around the state, the retail pharmacy chain said.

Walgreens said it would offer the Tdap vaccine at all of its 67 stores in Kansas and its 195 stores in Missouri in pharmacies and Take Care Clinics.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has reported 56 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, as of June 11, compared with the 52 cases reported for the entire year of 2011.

Are the nation’s more than 330,000 pharmacy technicians ready to step up to a higher level of patient services and a more demanding but rewarding career?

For most pharmacy techs, that step up in duties is either fast approaching or has already begun. Given the massive changes sweeping the severely stressed U.S. healthcare system and the retail, clinical and hospital pharmacies that serve it, thousands of technicians in those settings are already taking on meatier roles as they fill the void left by pharmacists called on to perform additional clinical services.