Summer is here, and kids (big and small) are ready for some fun in the sun. This includes your patients, doctors, your pharmacy staff, and maybe even you! So, it’s time to think about travel medications and vaccines. These can be financial powerhouses and should play a vital role in your long-term success. However, before you jump in and start new services, take some time to do some research. Check out the places your patients plan to visit and what vaccines are recommended for those destinations. That way you’ll know which vaccines you should offer and which patients to target when promoting your service.
The most common travel vaccines according to the World Health Organization include:
- Yellow fever
- Hepatitis B
- Typhoid fever
- Cholera
- Encephalitis
- Hepatitis A and E
It’s also important to stay up to date on travel health advisories from organizations such as WHO and the CDC. That way you can stay ahead of the game and add any new vaccines to your to-do list.
When it comes to vacation time, talk with your employees and encourage them to let you know about their vacation plans ahead of time. By doing so, scheduling will be much easier. Your team will need to make adjustments to fill voids when others are out, so it’s a good idea to talk to them about taking extra shifts.
While vacations are restorative for both your staff and patients, they can disrupt the day-to-day flow of your pharmacy, such as fill schedules. Your patients will request refills in time for their vacation, but their insurance plans will deem the refills as too soon. Talk to your patients right away if their insurance denies the claim. Let them know that most insurance plans provide a vacation override, but they need the patient’s approval to go through with it.
Let your patients know about the impending summer rush by posting on your pharmacy’s social media feeds. Remind them to request their refills ahead of time and coordinate their insurance plans. Remind them that they won’t want to miss their flight due to insurance denying their prescription claim.
The rush of summer can be exciting, but also frustrating. With your staff wanting to take time off for vacation, and your patients wanting their refills earlier than usual, it can get a little chaotic. Managing travel medications no matter if it’s OTC, vaccines, or prescriptions can be tough. But if your pharmacy is well stocked and equipped, it can make it a much lighter task to tackle.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and run by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
