ACP makes recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine administration and payment

The American College of Physicians (ACP) recently released a policy statement with a series of recommendations for the provision, distribution, and payment of COVID-19 vaccines.

In its statement, ACP calls on policymakers to require payers to provide adequate reimbursement for all COVID-19 vaccines administered, according to scientific guidelines established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The group recommends that payers inform care teams of all billing and coding information necessary to obtain prompt reimbursement for COVID-19 vaccines and their administration.

ACP also emphasizes the importance of communication between physicians and other vaccinators “to ensure patient safety and continuity of care, information technology issues, and reimbursement and billing.” Specifically, the group supports vaccine administration by appropriately trained, state-licensed clinicians (e.g., pharmacists, nurses, healthcare professionals working in retail health clinics) with physicians playing a role in advising patients on COVID-19 vaccines, addressing concerns, and providing post-vaccine counseling. Vaccinators should also collaborate with the patient’s primary care team to ensure patient safety and continuity of care, according to ACP.