Flu season has officially begun. It’s important that all your patients be vaccinated during the early months of flu season. Jefferson Health Plans is encouraging all members to be vaccinated by the end of October.

Vaccination by Age Group

Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza.

Different flu vaccines are approved for use in different age groups.

There are several flu shots approved for use in people as young as 6 months old and older, and two are approved only for adults 65 years and older.

Flu shots also are recommended for pregnant people and people with certain chronic health conditions.

The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for use in people 2 years through 49 years of age. People who are pregnant and people with certain medical conditions should not receive the nasal spray flu vaccine.

• For people younger than 65 years, CDC recommends any available age-appropriate vaccine product.
• For adults 65 years and older, there are three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommended:
  • Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine,
  • Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine, and
  • Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine.
  • If none of the three flu vaccines preferentially recommended for people 65 and older is available at the time of administration, people in this age group can get any other age-appropriate flu vaccine instead.

New for 2023-24 season:

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) confirmed that everyone ages 6 months and older who has an egg allergy should receive an influenza vaccine. Any influenza vaccine (egg based or non-egg based) that is otherwise appropriate for the recipient’s age and health status may be used. 

Billing

CMS has set rates for flu vaccines. Providers should bill using the following codes.

Payment limits and effective dates for newly approved and marketed influenza vaccines will be posted to the CDC’s website.

COVID-19 & Flu Vaccinations

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines and boosters may be administered without regard to timing of other vaccines, including the flu vaccine. Studies conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that it is safe to get both a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same visit .  The following information is directly from the CDC:

Studies conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic indicate that it is safe to get both a flu vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at the same visit. A CDC study published this summer showed people who got a flu vaccine and an mRNA COVID-19 booster vaccine at the same time were slightly more likely (8% to 11%) to have reactions including fatigue, headache, and muscle ache than people who only got a COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccine, but these reactions were mostly mild and went away quickly. The findings of this study are consistent with safety data from clinical trials that did not find any safety concerns with giving both vaccines at the same time.

Resources

FDA: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/covid-19-flu-and-rsv

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/coadministration.htm