To help combat disparities in flu vaccinations, organizations must implement action plans to increase vaccinations in communities with a history of lower flu vaccination rates and promote health equity, while acknowledging their responsibility for and influence in eliminating health disparities.

As we race to prepare providers and the health care systems and infrastructure to implement COVID-19 vaccinations, we must consider the pharmacy’s principal role in improving care quality. Beyond immunization adherence, pharmacists at all levels—in clinical and care management roles, retail and community pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies—have evolved from focusing on transactional business models to providing expertise and resources in quality improvement. Many are part of vertically integrated models and are positioned to play a meaningful role in implementing quality-based care programs.

In response to the pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services designated new e-visit codes for the 2020 calendar year. Shifting our perception of health assessments and taking advantage of virtual care technology will improve Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) performance and quality of care.

Digital behavioral health start-ups have scored $588M in funding during the COVID-19 pandemic and “virtual mental health” spiked at the end of 2020’s first quarter as people searched for alternatives to in-person behavioral health services. Digital technology is an emerging opportunity to address our burgeoning behavioral health needs and provider shortage.