Review your results below to discover and address risks your pharmacy may experience.

1. Do you have standing orders?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Good for you! Make sure they are signed annually and comply with the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) recommendations.
  • No- Legally you are not permitted to provide immunizations without the signed authorization of a licensed physician, either in the form of a prescription or having Standing Orders on file. The only exception is in states where they have a Blanket Standing Order for pharmacies.

2. Have you updated your Standing Orders within the past year?

You answered:

  • Yes-Good deal- You are on top of things!
  • No- There have been changes to the requirements for most immunizations. Standing Orders need to be updated to comply. Checkout the CDC for these changes/recommendations.

 3. Have you completed OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen trainings in the past year?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Fantastic- Make sure you not only have Bloodborne Pathogen Training Certificate in each employee’s Personnel Folder, but also keep a Bloodborne Pathogen Training Log with names, signatures, and dates in your training file.
  • No- Everyone in your pharmacy should be completing this annually per OSHA requirement OSHA Title 29 CFR 1910.1030.

4. Do you have Emergency Protocols?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Wonderful- Make sure they accompany an Immunizing Pharmacist if they are traveling into the Community for a clinic and you retain a set within the physical walls of the pharmacy as well.
  • No- Contact your physician immediately to get the emergency protocols in place in case of an adverse reaction. Administering the antidote without a physician order is practicing medicine and could lead to lawsuits and possible disciplinary action against the pharmacist.

5. Have your Emergency Protocols been reviewed and signed by a doctor in the past year?

You answered: 

  • Yes-Good deal- You are on top of things!
  • No- It is a best practice to update these protocols when the Standing Orders are updated and signed by the physician. The CDC and IAC updates the Emergency Protocol  annually.

6. Do you have a private area that can be used to give immunizations?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Wonderful- Double check to make sure other patients can not hear or see any PHI.
  • No- Patients need to have their PHI secured both visually and audibly for your facility to comply with HIPAA and patient privacy.

7. Are you sending your Mass Immunization Roster to the standing order physician for their records?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Lovely- Find out from the physician’s Office Manager if they would like to receive the rosters daily, weekly or monthly.
  • No- The physician that signed the Standing Orders needs to have a record of all patients who received immunizations under their medical license.

8. Do you have a designated Vaccine Coordinator?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Perfect- Ensure they are aware of all of their responsibilities.
  • No- Someone should be responsible for maintaining Policies & Procedures, vaccine shipments, storage, handling, transport, and inventory management. Vaccines/Immunizations can be very costly, having someone over see this area allows the owner to have their assets protected.

 9. Do you have a temperature monitoring system to record temperatures within your immunization refrigeration and freezer units?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Great- Depending on the system don’t forget to calibrate if needed.
  • No- Consider something like the FridgeTag that automatically monitors temperature throughout the day/night ( CDC requirement). In the event of a power outage the temperature records will show how warm the vaccines were and for the length of time.  This data will allow you to provide information to the manufacturer to find out if your vaccine needs to be discarded. 

10. Are you notifying the patient’s PCP that they received an immunization at your locations?

You answered: 

  • Yes- Fantastic!
  • No- Consider including details of the vaccine, location, route, and any reactions so the PCP can update their patient’s medical record and the patient stays on track with vaccine schedules.