Pharmacists as Immunizers

New York State Education laws § 6527, 6801, and 6909 permit licensed pharmacists, who obtain an additional certification, to administer influenza vaccine to children between the ages of 2 and 18 years of age and to adults 18 years of age and older, and to administer pneumococcal, meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and herpes zoster, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations to adults 18 years of age and older under either patient specific or non-patient specific orders.

As described in New York State Public Health Law 2168, pharmacists must:

  • report all immunizations administered to persons less than 19 years of age to the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), for immunizations administered outside of New York City (NYC), or to the City Immunization Registry (CIR), for immunizations administered within NYC and
  • report immunizations administered to persons aged 19 years and older to NYSIIS or the CIR upon consent of the patient.

Table of Contents

Non-Patient Specific Orders

A non-patient specific order authorizes one or more certified pharmacists who are either (1) individually named or (2) not individually named, but identified as employed or under contract with an entity that is legally authorized to employ or contract with pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical services, to administer specified immunization agents to a defined group of individuals, for a prescribed period of time.

A non-patient specific order must be signed by a New York State licensed physician or nurse practitioner with a practice site in New York State. Links to examples of non-patient specific standing orders are provided below. Before signing/practicing under any non-patient specific standing order, a review of such order, including any necessary modifications, should be completed to ensure compliance with New York State Education Law. Requirements for non-patient specific standing orders can be found in New York State Education Regulations at 8 NYCRR 63.9.

Current New York State Standing Orders for Pharmacists

Laws and Regulations

Patient Education Materials

New York State Education law § 6801 requires pharmacists administering immunizations in a pharmacy to provide an area for the immunization that provides for a patient’s privacy. The privacy area should include:

  1. a clearly visible posting of the most current "Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule" published by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP); and
  2. education materials on influenza vaccinations for children as determined by the commissioner and the commissioner of health

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recommends utilizing the following materials:

Pharmacists as Immunizers Resources

Certified Pharmacist Immunizer Survey

All New York State pharmacies employing New York State certified pharmacist immunizers are required to report information about all vaccinations they administer. All doses administered to children less than 19 years of age or to adults aged 19 years or older who have consented to registry reporting must be reported to NYSIIS or the CIR in compliance with Public Health Law 2168 as described at the top of this page. Doses administered to adults aged 19 years or older who did not consent to registry reporting must be reported in aggregate in the annual NYSDOH Certified Pharmacist Immunizer Survey.

Pharmacies can either report on behalf of their certified pharmacists or ask their certified pharmacist immunizer employees to complete the survey themselves. Instructions for completing the survey and for obtaining an HCS account can also be found below. Please print the survey instructions, as they will expedite your accurate completion of the survey.

How to Request a Health Commerce System (HCS) Account

The NYSDOH Health Commerce System is a secure intranet designed by NYSDOH specifically for electronically exchanging health related data and information between health care providers and NYSDOH. The process to obtain an HCS account can take up to two weeks.

If you are not sure if your work site has previously applied for access to the HCS, who your HCS Coordinator is or have general questions, contact the Commerce Account Management Unit (CAMU) Help Desk at 1-866-529-1890, option 1 or hinhpn@health.ny.gov.