Despite help from Sacramento’s public health department and other organizations to host the pop-up monkeypox vaccination clinics, Pucci’s Pharmacy is paying more than it should, the owner said.
“We’ve only been paid actually for one vaccine. One claim went through Medicare. The rest of the claims through the commercial payers, none of them have paid so far, and none of them are acknowledging — they respond and say that they don’t recognize the vaccine code,” Clint Hopkins, PharmD, told KXTV. “The time we spend with the patient, counseling, the actual administration of it, that takes a skilled person that we have to pay, and we should be reimbursed to pay that person.”
Dr. Hopkins said continuing to cover these costs is unsustainable in the long-term.
After months of lobbying, HHS authorized pharmacists to administer the monkeypox vaccine Sept. 30, but no mention of reimbursement was made in the decision.
“We have yet to see what plans are in place to ensure a sustainable model for pharmacists and pharmacies to offer the monkeypox vaccine and treatments,” interim CEO of APhA, Ilisa Bernstein, PharmD, said in a statement.
A potential solution could be a national fund aimed at providing monkeypox vaccines to vulnerable populations, Dr. Hopkins said, similar to the federal government’s contracts with COVID-19 vaccine-makers to deliver those shots for free.
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
