Publicly funded vaccines

This information is intended for health professionals. Further details are in Pharmacist administration of drugs and vaccines — Section 8.10, PharmaCare Policy Manual

On this page: PharmaCare fees | How to claim | COVID-19 and flu vaccines | Flu campaign 2024-2025 | Publicly funded vaccine PINs |  Resources

PharmaCare fees

PharmaCare pays a fee when an authorized pharmacist, and in some cases non-pharmacist, administers a publicly funded vaccine.

• The fee for administering a publicly funded vaccine to an eligible B.C. resident is usually $12.10
• The fee for administering a COVID-19 vaccine to an eligible B.C. resident is is $18.00

How to claim publicly funded vaccines

Key details for submitting claims:

• Vaccine administrations must be entered on the day of the vaccination
• Record the lot number for every vaccine administered, in case of rare events such as a vaccine recall or an adverse event following immunization (AEFI). For PharmaNet entries, record the lot number the SIG field

COVID-19 and flu vaccines have unique procedures. Refer to COVID-19 and flu vaccines for instructions.

If administered to eligible patients for publicly funded vaccines:

• Use the appropriate PIN in PharmaNet
• Enter the quantity as the fluid volume of the vaccine (e.g. 0.5 mL)
• Do not enter a drug cost or fee
• Do not enter an intervention code

Patients who are not eligible:

• Dispense the vaccine ordered from your private supplier
• Enter the product’s DIN in PharmaNet
• Charge the patient directly

Refer to the BCCDC’s B.C. Immunization Manual for criteria, immunization schedule and other important information.

COVID-19 and flu vaccines

Non-pharmacist vaccine administration 

Pharmacies can claim the vaccine administration fee when the flu or COVID-19 vaccine is administered by an authorized health professional, including:

• Registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) (must be a BCCNM member)
• Pharmacy students, under supervision of a full pharmacist certified to administer injections, and 
• Medical students, under the supervision of a licensed practitioner (as of April 2024)

How to submit claims

• Record COVID-19 and publicly funded flu vaccines in ImmsBC only. View procedures for privately funded flu vaccines
• Vaccine administrations must be entered on the day of the vaccination
• Records will be shared with PharmaNet, allowing PharmaCare to process the claim
• Note that in ImmsBC, a drug use evaluation (DUE) does not automatically occur

COVID-19 vaccines

• Records will be shared with the Provincial Immunization Registry (PIR) and PharmaNet, allowing PharmaCare to process the claim
• Claims entered at the end of a month may be paid two months later rather than one month later, as PharmaNet may not receive the claim until the start of the following month

For long-term care (LTC) and assisted living (AL) residents

You must note that a vaccination is for an LTC or AL resident. In the Immunization Information section, select "AL resident" or "LTC resident" from the Reason for Immunization dropdown menu.

If your pharmacy has not pre-registered residents for appointments, record the vaccination as a walk-in. Open the resident's profile, and click the "Check-In" button. 

Flu vaccines 2024-2025

Once the annual campaign has officially begun (September 1 - June 1), pharmacies may submit claims for flu vaccinations.

Publicly funded flu vaccines

• Record in ImmsBC
• Use the vaccine DIN 
• Records will be shared with PharmaNet, allowing PharmaCare to process the claim
• Note that in ImmsBC, a drug use evaluation (DUE) does not automatically occur

The publicly funded flu vaccines for the 2024 – 2025 season are:

• FluMist Quadravalent (also available for private purchase with PIN 66128276)
• Fluzone Quadravalent (multi-dose vial)
• Fluzone Quadravalent (prefilled syringe) 
• Flulaval Tetra (multi-dose vial)  
• Fluad (65 years+) (also available for private purchase with PIN 6612487)

Private flu vaccines

Private supply vaccinations are eligible for PharmaCare’s drug administration fee of $11.41.

Two publicly funded flu vaccines are available for private supply in 2024-2025.

If product is both private and public supply:

• Enter your CPBC ID in the Prescriber ID field in PharmaNet
• Enter the PIN in PharmaNet:
  • FluMist Quadravalent - PIN 66128276
  • Fluad (65 years+) - PIN  6612487
• In SIG field, enter lot number and injection arm (RIGHT or LEFT) or “bilateral” for nasal spray, separated by an underscore _

If product is uniquely private:

• Enter your CPBC ID in the Prescriber ID field in PharmaNet
• Enter the DIN in PharmaNet
• In SIG field, enter lot number and injection arm (RIGHT or LEFT) or “bilateral” for nasal spray, separated by an underscore _

Publicly funded vaccine PINs