Advance Preparation Streamlines Flu Vaccine Clinics in Long-Term Care Facilities

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Kristin Hartzell, PharmD, pharmacist and VP of commercial ops and clinical strategy at RedSail Technologies, continued her discussion, focusing on practical strategies for streamlining influenza vaccine clinics in long-term care settings and offering advice for pharmacies looking to expand flu vaccination services for older adults.

Save yourself as much time as possible in preparing what work you need to complete while you’re on site so that you can focus on taking care of the patients and giving them the vaccines and not the administrative work. — Kristin Hartzell, PharmD

Hartzell emphasized that much of the administrative work behind an on-site flu clinic can be completed before pharmacists arrive at the facility. She encouraged pharmacies to work with long-term care facility staff to set up the best method for gathering patient information in advance, whether through paper forms or automated electronic form fills. Depending on the facility and level of care, staff may be able to provide much of the needed information from residents’ medical records, so patient profiles are active and ready for vaccine entry and billing.

For residents already known to the pharmacy, Hartzell said some pharmacy management systems can pre-print vaccine consent forms with patient information already filled in. Some pharmacies also pre-fill the flu vaccine lot number and expiration date when these are consistent across doses. Completing this preparation ahead of time allows pharmacists to focus on patient care and vaccine administration on-site rather than paperwork.

For pharmacies new to off-site flu clinics, Hartzell recommended 3 starting points:

• Connect with other pharmacists in the area who already run vaccine clinics and can share tips and tools.
• Consult the pharmacy software vendor about existing functionality that can improve efficiency in the vaccine workflow.
• Evaluate local opportunities to increase vaccination rates, which may differ considerably between rural areas and densely populated city centers.

Hartzell noted that community pharmacists are well suited to tailoring services to the specific needs of the communities they serve.