COVID-19 and influenza vaccine administration fees
- All COVID-19 and publicly funded influenza vaccinations must be entered into ImmsBC (not PharmaNet).
- The COVID-19 vaccine administration fee is $18 per administration.
- The publicly funded influenza vaccine administration fee is $12.10 when given to a B.C. resident.
- An administration fee will not be paid for an influenza vaccination administered to a non-BC resident, they may be offered a publicly funded vaccine without payment, private stock or referred to a public health clinic.
- Pharmacies cannot charge individuals when administering publicly funded vaccines.
- Information entered in ImmsBC is automatically transferred to PharmaNet for fee payment to pharmacies, and will also be transferred to the PIR to complete the patient's immunization history (for clinical purposes).
Vaccine administration by nurses, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students
- Pharmacies may claim COVID-19 and influenza vaccine administration fees for administrations by nurses during the 2023-24 flu vaccination campaign.
- Any nurse administering an influenza (or COVID-19 vaccine) in a B.C. pharmacy must be:
- Licensed by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM); i.e., they must be an active registrant of that college (LPNs, NPs, RNs, and RPNs), OR
- Permitted under the November 4, 2022, Provincial Health Officer order, as student nurses or retired nurses, with supervision as per the PHO order
- Flu vaccines can also be administered by a pharmacy technician or pharmacy student, if they are supervised, as per the November 4 PHO order.
Reference: Sept 20, 2023 PharmaCare Newsletter
Private influenza vaccine
Pharmacies offering private influenza vaccines should begin offering these vaccines around the same time as the public campaign start date to avoid confusion.
Patients choosing to pay for private stock must first be made aware of their options to receive a publicly funded option at no cost.
PharmaNet entry requirements
For the 2023/2024 season, three of the publicly funded products are also available for private supply. Where a flu product is uniquely a private supply product, enter the DIN in PharmaNet. For products that have both private and public supply, enter private supply using the PIN in PharmaNet. Do not record private supply vaccinations in ImmsBC.
If providing these products as private supply, enter the following PINs in PharmaNet, and your CPBC ID in the Prescriber ID field:
- Flumist® Quadrivalent - PIN 66128276
- Fluzone® Quadrivalent - PIN 66128073
- Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent - PIN 66127356
Pharmacies can submit the drug administration fee ($11.41) using PIN 66128366 for non-publicly funded vaccines administered to BC residents. This is done separately to the drug claim. For details, see Pharmacare Policy Section 8.10 Pharmacist administration of drugs and vaccines - “Submitting a claim for administering drugs and non-publicly funded vaccines.”
Pharmacare resource: Pharmacare Policy Manual Section 8.10
Reconciling ImmsBC administration claims
Pharmacies can request a Pharmacy Remittance Advice Form from Health Insurance BC, which shows vaccine administrations and fees entered in ImmsBC. If pharmacies want a breakdown to the individual record level, they will need to request the Service Claim Adjudication Outcome report from the HIBC PharmaCare Helpdesk.
Pharmacies can also run reports out of ImmsBC to review their COVID-19 and Influenza drug administration records. See Reports in ImmsBC