The percentage of adults receiving a flu shot at a pharmacy or store rose to 28.2% in 2017, up from 24.3% in 2016. Despite this increase, the doctor’s office remains the most popular location for receiving a flu vaccine, with 34.7% of adults and 64.6% of children receiving the shot in this setting. Outside of these two settings, children commonly receive the flu vaccine at facilities like clinics or health centers, while adults commonly receive theirs at the workplace.
HIDA’s recently-released Influenza Vaccine: Production and Distributor Market Report offers key insights and data on the administration, distribution, and production of the flu vaccine. Other useful information included in this year’s report includes:
The severity of the previous flu season. The 2018-19 flu season is one of the worst in recent history, and marks the first time all three age groups monitored for influenza were classified as “high severity” in the same season.
Manufacturers predictions for vaccine production. Manufacturers expect to produce between 163 million and 168 million doses of flu vaccine for the 2018-19 flu season. This would mark a notable increase from the previous season, when approximately 155.3 million doses of the vaccine were shipped.
Recent payer changes. As part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ quality reporting requirements, some types of providers must report the percentage of their patients who were given the flu vaccine, as well as immunization figures for their staff. Immunization of both patients and provider staff continues to be a trend in the CMS Quality Reporting Program.
To learn more, or to get your copy of the report, visit www.HIDA.org/flubrief.
Published: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pharmacies-stores-see-increase-flu-vaccinations-mary-beth-spencer/