Need a quick vaccine or test? Visit your local pharmacist
- Greg Russell
- March 3, 2024
Visit your local pharmacist.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, you might not have thought about being tested or vaccinated for viruses before going to a wedding … attending a baby shower … or visiting your elderly aunt in the hospital.
But getting tests and vaccinations can help protect the people you care about. And now it is as easy as visiting your local pharmacist.
Recent changes in Arkansas law expanded the services offered by pharmacists. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield* is the first health insurer in the state to cover these newly approved pharmacy services.
“Broadening access to care is a high priority for us,” said Mark T. Jansen, M.D., chief medical officer for Arkansas Blue Cross. “So, when legislators worked with the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy and the Arkansas State Medical Board to expand the list of services that pharmacists can safely and effectively perform, we saw it as an exciting opportunity to empower our members to be proactive about their health.”
Services now covered when performed by pharmacists include:
- COVID-19 testing
- COVID-19 vaccination
- Influenza (flu) testing
- Flu shots
- Prescribing antiviral medications for flu or COVID-19
- Strep throat testing
- Prescribing antibiotics for strep throat
Register or sign into Blueprint Portal to find an in-network pharmacy near you.
*Excludes Arkansas Blue Medicare members.
