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AUGUST 1999 Immunization registry news from All Kids Count.
Issue Number 6 August 31, 1999 All Kids Count is a national network of demonstration projects working to develop and implement community-based immunization registries for infants and toddlers. Collectively, All Kids Count projects represent the country's most advanced base of experience with immunization registries. All Kids Count is supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with direction and technical assistance from The Task Force for Child Survival and Development. HEADLINES Software Pilot Project Links Immunization Registries to VAERS Congress Fails to Reach Agreement on Health Privacy Immunization Registry Association (AIR) Update 'Every Child By Two Enlists Governors Spouses as Registry Champions Washington State Study Probes Private Provider Participation Software Pilot Project Links Immunization Registries to VAERS The Vaccine Safety and Development Branch at the National Immunization Program (NIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is seeking two or three registry sites to pilot software that will link registries to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Registries' participation in the project will increase provider reporting, thus enhancing vaccine safety and the value of registries to providers. Registries can provide more timely and accurate reporting of adverse events during a time of increased concern about the safety of vaccines; they can enhance monitoring and understanding of valid vaccine adverse events; and they can reduce vaccine-associated risks by helping providers to immunize "smarter." If you are interested in piloting the VAERS Server Software, contact Vitali Pool, 404-639-8758, vap6@cdc.gov.
Congress Fails to Reach Agreement on Health Privacy Despite a flurry of activity before the August recess, Congress did not succeed in enacting a comprehensive health privacy bill by the August 21 deadline set by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). In the absence of comprehensive health privacy legislation, HIPAA calls for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations by February 21, 2000. A team has been assembled within the Department to begin drafting regulations. Once drafted, a 60-day comment period is required before the regulations are promulgated. The regulations may be only temporary, as Congress has the authority to pass a comprehensive federal law that would override the regulations. SnapShots will continue to provide updates on this issue as it unfolds.
Update on the Association of Immunization Registries (AIR) The AIR workgroup met in August at the All Kids Count facilities in Atlanta to take the next steps toward the establishment of a formal organization. The group wrote interim by-laws and selected an interim Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of 11 voting members and four ex-officio members. Two of the ex officio members will represent a subcommittee of immunization registry vendors. Because this committee has not yet been formed, these two members have not yet been appointed. A slate of the other board members is provided below. The group also discussed the design of a feasibility study that will identify alternative organizational structures and recommend the best structure to accomplish association goals and activities. The feasibility study, if funded, will be completed in time for the next national registry conference planned for March 2000. Interim Board of Directors: President: Paula Soper, Maryland Department of Health and Hygiene; Vice President-Communications and Education: Ayesha Gill, California Department of Health Services;Vice President-Public Affairs and Advocacy: Debbie McCune Davis, The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization; Vice President-Standards: John Warming, Iowa Department of Public Health; Vice President- Annual Conference: Amy Metroka, New York City Department of Health; Treasurer: Kim Salisbury-Keith, Rhode Island Department of Health; Secretary: Angela Salazar, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. Members-at-Large: Kathy Fredrickson, Arizona Department of Health Services; Marty LaVenture, Minnesota Department of Health Services; Sam Crosby, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources; Peter Starke, Kaiser Permanente-Mid-Atlantic; Ex officio members: Beverly Ashton, CDC; KC Edwards, All Kids Count. For more information contact Paula Soper at soperpa@dhmh.state.md.us or KC Edwards at kcedwards@allkidscount.org.
Every Child By Two Enlists Governors' Spouses as Registry Champions The co-founders of Every Child By Two (ECBT), Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers, recently have focused their immunization advocacy efforts on the spouses of the nation's governors. The long-time leaders of the campaign to immunize our youngest children are asking governors' spouses to lend their visibility and credibility to the immunization registry efforts in their own states. Funded by a grant from the National Immunization Program/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ECBT is holding a series of meetings with governors' spouses around the theme "Registries are the Gift of a Lifetime." Thus far, a meeting has been held with the Western governors' spouses, and a second meeting is planned for September 13 in Memphis with the Southern governors' spouses. All Kids Count and the National Immunization Program (NIP) at CDC are working closely with ECBT in educating this important group about the benefits of registries. Contact: Amy Pisani, amy@ecbt.org.
Washington State Study Probes Private Provider Participation Results of focus groups conducted in Washington State give insight to providers' perceptions about the value of a registry, what a registry system should do, the role of the private and public sectors, and who should fund registries. The results from five focus groups comprise the first of a two-part study conducted by the University of Washington and Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound and funded by NIP/CDC. The second phase will be completed early next year. Overall, participants favored the concept of using a registry provided it is easy to use; it is flexible enough to accommodate individual variations in medical practices; and it includes mechanisms for generating customized reports, assessments, and reminder/recall notices. Providers believe a registry should be efficient and reduce the time spent documenting and recording immunization information; it should have statewide provider participation; and it should helps improve immunization coverage rates. The participants were divided in their preferences for public or private sector management and ownership. Several suggested the need for a mandate to ensure universal participation, the longevity of the registry, and to guarantee compliance. Although participants indicated a willingness to allocate some financial resources, all were against providers paying participation fees. For further information, contact: Betsy Klebanoff-Hills, 206-287-2983.
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