Vaccine Finance Resources for Physicians

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has created numerous resources to help practices understand their costs to immunize and to lower those costs. This article lists those resources, as well as resources related to vaccine safety and storage and handling. ### Rationale Pediatricians must be savvy about the business aspects of their practices. The following resources facilitate calculating, understanding, and improving pricing, contracts, and coding. ### Know Your Costs #### Vaccines: A Survival Guide for Pediatric Practices (www.aap.org/immunization/pediatricians/pdf/Vacc\_survival\_insert.pdf) This resource helps practices determine their costs to immunize. Knowing costs is essential for negotiating favorable contracts. #### The Business Case for Pricing Vaccines and Immunization Administration (www.aap.org/immunization/pediatricians/pdf/TheBusinessCase.pdf) The Business Case estimates that 17% to 28% above vaccine product costs is needed to cover overhead costs. Recent studies with multiple pediatric and family practices found overhead costs in the same range. If determination of actual practice costs to vaccinate is prohibitive, then the estimates from this document can be used instead. #### Private-Sector Vaccine Price List (www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm) Costs can be checked against the manufacturer's catalog price listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ### Lower Your Costs #### Immunization Best Business Practices PediaLink Module (http://tinyurl.com/yzbm9nw) Preliminary data show wide variability in what it costs practices to immunize. The AAP recognizes that small practices may have trouble negotiating better reimbursement, and this module can help practices find ways to reduce costs, from ordering to administering vaccines. #### List of Group Purchasing Organizations (http://practice.aap.org/content.aspx?aid=2381) Group purchasing organizations combine buying power from multiple units, such as hospitals and smaller pediatric practices, to obtain better pricing for vaccines. The AAP has been collecting information on group purchasing organizations that report working with pediatricians, and Practice Management Online contains information … Address correspondence to Elizabeth Sobczyk, MPH, MSW, American Academy of Pediatrics, Immunization Initiatives, Division of Pediatric Practice, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007. E-mail: esobczyk{at}aap.org