The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have decided to resume usage of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after determining that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks. The J&J vaccine is set to immediately be available for resumed administration. In regards to the rare blood clotting issue, individuals who receive the J&J vaccine should receive an information sheet with symptoms to look out for and providers will be given information on how to appropriately treat it.

The CDC and FDA released a joint message this morning, recommending pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine. There have been 6 cases of a rare but severe type of blood clot in women a week after they received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For reference, over 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered. The CDC has called a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices tomorrow to further review the cases.

Running into some issues while trying to bill for Covid vaccine reimbursement? This resource from NCPA gives tips on how to troubleshoot the most common issues that pharmacists are running into. Topics covered include billing for Medicare, Medicaid, commercial plans, and even billing for uninsured patients. Click the link to watch a short video walking through these issues, or read their full Covid Vaccine Billing and Reimbursement guide.

Did you know you can still claim reimbursement if your pharmacy is administering the Covid vaccine to uninsured patients? Through the HRSA Uninsured Program, pharmacies can submit uninsured patient information, even without Social Security numbers or state-issued IDs, to verify eligibility for reimbursement. Click the link for more information from NCPA as well as a direct link to the submission form.