Pediatricians Express Concerns About HHS Authorization of Pharmacists to Deliver Childhood Vaccines

In a discussion with Pharmacy Times, Susan DiGregorio, BS Pharm, MS, RPh, director of clinical pharmacy development at Community Care Rx, said that collaborating with pediatricians and other health care providers is essential for pharmacists to effectively administer vaccines to children.

Following the authorization by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which allowed pharmacists to administer vaccines to children between the ages of 3 and 18, some pediatricians have expressed concerns that this deprives children of medical care. DiGregorio said this is not true, and that pharmacists are a great option to actually expand access to health care and improve collaboration between providers.

“Collaboration is the present of medicine and it’s definitely the future of medicine,” DiGregorio said. “And it is the absolute best care for patients because it’s a rounded approach and you have all team and all disciplines working together.”