Express Scripts is aiming to make it easier for members to provide their vaccination information by integrating those data into their existing mobile app, the company announced.
Express Scripts members who receive their vaccinations at pharmacies—and are thus billed under the pharmacy benefit—will be able to show their personalized vaccination records using the app or generate a scannable QR code to use as proof of vaccination.
The new functionality is built on the SMART Health Card framework, which was set up by the Vaccination Credential Initiative, a public-private partnership to empower people with access to verified health data.
Glen Stettin, M.D., chief innovation officer at Express Scripts' parent company Evernorth, told Fierce Healthcare that the goal is to allow members to "be in control."
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"It's done in a secure fashion and gives the consumer, gives the patient control over who they show it to," Stettin said.
He said customers are finding themselves in an increasing number of situations that require proof of vaccination, such as traveling or sporting events. However, having access to those data in the app can avoid the issue of a lost vaccine card or a falsified one, Stettin said.
Eligible members will see an option at the top of the app's menu that allows them to generate the code or open the plain text version to present their vaccination information, he said.
"It really is a way to do the right thing for people who have been vaccinated," Stettin said.