Estimating medical practice expenses from administering adult influenza vaccinations

Potential business losses incurred vaccinating adults against influenza have not been defined because of a lack of estimates for medical practice costs incurred delivering vaccines. We collected data on vaccination labor time and other associated expenses. We modeled estimates of per-vaccination medical practice business costs associated with delivering adult influenza vaccine in different sized practices. Per-shot costs ranged from US$ 13.87 to US$ 46.27 (2001 dollars). When compared with average Medicare payments of US$ 11.71, per-shot losses ranged from US$ 2.16 to US$ 34.56. More research is needed to determine less expensive delivery settings and/or whether third-party payers need to make higher payments for adult vaccinations.