Flipt reward program boosts flu vaccine uptake and lowers employer costs

October 26, 2022

In 2021, Flipt launched the Vaccine Improvement Project (VIP) to incentivize Flipt plan members to receive their flu shots under their pharmacy benefit, resulting in a higher percentage of vaccinated members and lower plan sponsor costs.

The project had two main goals:
• Vaccinate more members to reduce their risk of being infected by and experiencing complications from the influenza virus, including sickness and hospitalization
• Decrease per member per month (PMPM) cost

Convenient for members, cost-effective for plan sponsors
While the flu typically sickens millions and hospitalizes over a hundred thousand Americans each year, only about half of the general population in the U.S. gets an annual influenza vaccine. Of vaccinated adults, only 39% receive their flu shot at a retail pharmacy, such as CVS or Walgreens. ¹

Flipt’s Vaccine Improvement Project encouraged members to use their pharmacy benefit for flu vaccines for two reasons:
1) The widespread availability of pharmacies makes getting vaccinated easier and more convenient and
2) Pharmacies are a more economical site of care and therefore reduce overall benefit costs for employers. The average flu vaccine costs $68 through medical benefits, while it costs less than half that—$31—through pharmacy benefits.

Rewarding member behavior change
To incentivize members to get their flu vaccine at a pharmacy, the plan offered a reward of up to $10 per person. Members were provided with step-by-step directions on how to use the Flipt mobile app to identify a convenient pharmacy for their vaccine. Those who then got vaccinated at their preferred retail pharmacy using their pharmacy benefit received their reward.

Driving results
The Vaccine Improvement Program was effective in increasing vaccination rates among plan members while reducing costs:
• 63% of Flipt plan members between ages 18 and 64 received the flu vaccine, exceeding the national average by 50% ²
• 70% of Flipt plan members were vaccinated in a pharmacy, exceeding the national average by 79%
• Even with $10 reward incentive, Flipt saved $0.98 PMPM on each flu vaccine
• Total spend on the flu vaccine was 17% less than projected based on the national average
• Year over year, there has been a 7x increase in Flipt plan members using the pharmacy benefit for their influenza vaccines

Flipt’s Vaccine Improvement Program achieved significant results for both plan members and sponsors. For more information, contact us at LearnMore@fliptrx.com.

¹ Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2020–21 Influenza Season. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-2022estimates.htm#:~:text=Half%20of%20all%20people%20%E2%89%A5,points%20from%20the%20prior%20season. October 7, 2021.
² Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2020–21 Influenza Season. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/coverage-2022estimates.htm#:~:text=Half%20of%20all%20people%20%E2%89%A5,points%20from%20the%20prior%20season. October 7, 2021.

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