Sec. 31.2. (a) A pharmacist may administer an immunization to an individual under a drug order or prescription.

     (b) Subject to subsection (c), a pharmacist may administer immunizations for the following to a group of individuals under a drug order, under a prescription, or according to a protocol approved by a physician:

Terms Used In Indiana Code 25-26-13-31.2

  • Administering: means the direct application of a drug to the body of a person by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means. See Indiana Code 25-26-13-2
  • Coronavirus disease: means the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2). See Indiana Code 25-26-13-2
  • Drug: means :

    Indiana Code 25-26-13-2

  • Drug order: means a written order in a hospital or other health care institution for an ultimate user for any drug or device, issued and signed by a practitioner, or an order transmitted by other means of communication from a practitioner, which is immediately reduced to writing by the pharmacist, registered nurse, or other licensed health care practitioner authorized by the hospital or institution. See Indiana Code 25-26-13-2
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Pharmacist: means a person licensed under this chapter. See Indiana Code 25-26-13-2
  • Pharmacy: means any facility, department, or other place where prescriptions are filled or compounded and are sold, dispensed, offered, or displayed for sale and which has as its principal purpose the dispensing of drug and health supplies intended for the general health, welfare, and safety of the public, without placing any other activity on a more important level than the practice of pharmacy. See Indiana Code 25-26-13-2
  • Prescription: means a written order or an order transmitted by other means of communication from a practitioner to or for an ultimate user for any drug or device containing:

    Indiana Code 25-26-13-2

(1) Influenza.

(2) Shingles (herpes zoster).

(3) Pneumonia.

(4) Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (whooping cough).

(5) Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

(6) Meningitis.

(7) Measles, mumps, and rubella.

(8) Varicella.

(9) Hepatitis A.

(10) Hepatitis B.

(11) Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

(12) Coronavirus disease.

     (c) A pharmacist may administer an immunization under subsection (b) if the following requirements are met:

(1) The physician specifies in the drug order, prescription, or protocol the group of individuals to whom the immunization may be administered.

(2) The physician who writes the drug order, prescription, or protocol is licensed and actively practicing with a medical office in Indiana and not employed by a pharmacy.

(3) The pharmacist who administers the immunization is responsible for notifying, not later than fourteen (14) days after the pharmacist administers the immunization, the physician who authorized the immunization and the individual’s primary care physician that the individual received the immunization.

(4) If the physician uses a protocol, the protocol may apply only to an individual or group of individuals who:

(A) except as provided in clause (B), are at least eleven (11) years of age; or

(B) for the pneumonia immunization under subsection (b)(3), are at least fifty (50) years of age.

(5) Before administering an immunization to an individual according to a protocol approved by a physician, the pharmacist must receive the consent of one (1) of the following:

(A) If the individual to whom the immunization is to be administered is at least eleven (11) years of age but less than eighteen (18) years of age, the parent or legal guardian of the individual.

(B) If the individual to whom the immunization is to be administered is at least eighteen (18) years of age but has a legal guardian, the legal guardian of the individual.

(C) If the individual to whom the immunization is to be administered is at least eighteen (18) years of age but has no legal guardian, the individual.

A parent or legal guardian who is required to give consent under this subdivision must be present at the time of immunization.

     (d) If the Indiana department of health or the department of homeland security determines that an emergency exists, subject to IC 16-41-9-1.7(a)(2), a pharmacist may administer any immunization in accordance with:

(1) the requirements of subsection (c)(1) through (c)(3); and

(2) any instructions in the emergency determination.

     (e) A pharmacist or pharmacist’s designee shall provide immunization data to the immunization data registry (IC 16-38-5) in a manner prescribed by the Indiana department of health unless:

(1) the individual receiving the immunization;

(2) the parent of the individual receiving the immunization, if the individual receiving the immunization is less than eighteen (18) years of age; or

(3) the legal guardian of the individual receiving the immunization, if a legal guardian has been appointed;

has completed and filed with the pharmacist or pharmacist’s designee a written immunization data exemption form, as provided in IC 16-38-5-2.

     (f) If an immunization is administered under a protocol, then the name, license number, and contact information of the physician who wrote the protocol must be posted in the location where the immunization is administered. A copy of the protocol must be available for inspection by the individual receiving the immunization.

     (g) A pharmacist may administer an immunization that is provided according to a standing order, prescription, or protocol issued under this section or IC 16-19-4-11 by the state health commissioner or the commissioner’s designated public health authority who is a licensed prescriber. If a pharmacist has received a protocol to administer an immunization from a physician and that specific immunization is covered by a standing order, prescription, or protocol issued by the state health commissioner or the commissioner’s designated public health authority, the pharmacist must administer the immunization according to the standing order, prescription, or protocol issued by the state health commissioner or the commissioner’s designated public health authority.

As added by P.L.94-2007, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.197-2011, SEC.109; P.L.113-2013, SEC.1; P.L.96-2017, SEC.5; P.L.202-2017, SEC.11; P.L.207-2021, SEC.36; P.L.56-2023, SEC.239.