Pharmacy Daily | ACT NIP trial shows pharmacy’s value

PATIENTS are voting with their feet in the ACT and opting to pay a $20 administration charge to receive National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded influenza vaccines, under a trial in the territory, Capital Chemist Group Business Manager, Andrew Topp, reports.

Speaking to Pharmacy Daily, Topp described the trial program, launched last year, as "hugely successful", noting more than 2,500 NIP vaccines have been administered to patients aged 65 and older, through 21 Capital Chemist stores in the ACT since 30 Mar - a significant increase compared to last year, when 1,053 doses were supplied by the group between 16 Apr and 29 Jul 2019, as part of the trial.

"Don't forget we're talking about a model that competes against effectively a free vaccine from a doctor, so people don't mind paying," he said.

"They basically talk with their feet [and] many thousands of them are choosing to get their vaccine from a pharmacy.

"It's a model that works for consumers and certainly seems to work for the NIP, because I think we're probably getting people who might not otherwise go to a doctor, and it's good for the profession of pharmacy, because we can do more things for more people and meet more people's needs.

"I think it's well and truly demonstrated its value to the vaccination supply network.

"I'd be devastated it they stopped doing it, but similarly I'd hope that they expand it to other jurisdictions, because we've proven it can work."

Topp noted that the trial program did not set out any recommendations around a patient co-payment or government funding for pharmacies to provide the service.

"While the vaccine is provided to the pharmacy at no cost, the staff and facilities at the pharmacy are not free, and pharmacies have no ability to 'bulk bill'," he said.

"We settled on a price [$20] that we thought was fair and reasonable, and by-and-large the public have been accepting.

"We're careful with our wording, we try to avoid the use of the words 'free vaccine' - it's a funded vaccine, but there is a fee for administering it and all the clerical work around the Australian Immunisation Register, recording it appropriately and reporting to all the people we need to report to."