Pharmacies are encouraged to document the reason for any additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine being provided to immunocompromised patients, including how the patient meets the criteria to receive an additional dose. That can be from a patient attestation or other clinical documentation of the patient’s condition. Commercial payers and processors are not taking a consistent approach to this situation. Think today now about an audit tomorrow. (Note: This is an ever-changing story, and we will continue to update members as information becomes available.)
The cycle may start again
As you are probably reading, so-called boosters for the mRNA vaccines are likely to be recommended in the near future. This would almost certainly go in a similar order of groups as the first round: health care workers and first responders, LTC residents and staff, older adults, etc. Reports are that the recommendation will be an additional dose eight months after the second dose.
Nomenclature tidbit
The current additional primary dose authorized and recommended for immunocompromised patients is because they may have not had a sufficient response to the normal two-dose series and is not being called a booster. The term booster is reserved for when an originally adequate immune response has waned over time and needs boosting.
