Fighting the Decline: The Pharmacy’s Role in Addressing Dropping Vaccination Rates

Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) significantly impact our healthcare system. Without protection from VPDs, people are at risk of illness, hospitalization, disability, and even death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes annual vaccination recommendations based on age, health conditions, prior vaccinations, and other considerations to prevent morbidity and mortality from VPDs. Data from the agency shows that despite their recommendations, vaccination rates across the board are lower than they should be, and most adults have not received their age-appropriate vaccinations.

This flu season saw 9.2 million fewer doses administered in pharmacies and doctors’ offices compared with annual averages before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the drop in vaccination rates resulted in severe consequences. The CDC estimates at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations, and 19,000 deaths from flu so far this season, making it the most relentless flu season in at least 15 years.

Now, more than ever, it’s critical that pharmacies are empowered to identify and immunize vaccine-eligible patients to fight against waning vaccination rates and protect communities nationwide.

Pharmacies and the National Strategic Vaccination Plan

The Department of Health and Human Services developed a national strategic vaccination plan to improve vaccination rates. The plan includes five goals that support the department’s vision of turning the US into a country where “vaccine-preventable diseases are eliminated through safe and effective vaccination over the lifespan.”

The goals range from fostering innovation in vaccine development to protecting the country’s health by supporting worldwide immunization efforts. Pharmacies are perfectly positioned to help the department meet its goals by increasing vaccine availability and strengthening data infrastructure.

By expanding vaccine access in community-based settings, pharmacies help remove barriers to vaccination and incentivize uptake, especially in underserved areas. Additionally, pharmacies contribute to reducing disparities by serving diverse populations and supporting localized efforts to identify and close immunization gaps.

Almost every state allows pharmacies to report vaccinations through their participation in immunization information systems (IIS) without requiring their patients to opt-in to reporting. Interoperability initiatives strengthen data infrastructure and improve vaccine coverage tracking and disease surveillance.

Expanding immunization services and integrating innovative technology can empower pharmacies to serve as key partners in achieving national vaccination goals and improving public health outcomes.

Empowering Pharmacies to Impact Declining Vaccination Rates

Substantial improvement in adult vaccination uptake is needed to reduce declining vaccination rates and the burden of VPDs nationally. Pharmacies can use technology to identify and improve vaccine access for populations nationwide.

XiFin^® Empower CareALERTS™ delivers targeted, in-workflow, smart clinical messaging to pharmacies that enables them to receive timely notifications about patient vaccination eligibility. When a patient goes to a pharmacy for an immunization or to pick up a prescription covered under the medical benefit, the pharmacy team receives a notification that alerts them to vaccination opportunities.

By combining one of the most robust immunization databases with real-time, in-workflow alerts, Empower CareALERTS helps pharmacy teams vaccinate the right patients at the right time by seamlessly identifying vaccine opportunities within their existing workflow. Direct CMS connections, access to 56 state and jurisdictional immunization registries, intelligent data mining, and a sophisticated rules engine that considers clinical eligibility help pharmacists take action at the point of care.

2024 Empower CareALERTS data shows the alert technology successfully helped increase companion immunizations by 18% among participating pharmacies. Download the case study to see how Empower CareALERTS impacted thousands of patients nationwide.

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