JUNE
2000
Immunization
registry news from All Kids Count.
Issue
Number 15
JUNE 26, 2000
Welcome
to SnapShots, All Kids Count's
newsletter about the progress, best
practices and accomplishments of
immunization registries across the
country. We invite you to share news
about your registry. Email us:
SnapShots@allkidscount.org or call us at
(404) 687-5615 with information about a
successful programmatic or technical
innovation, major accomplishment or
milestone that your registry has
reached. SnapShots is sent to
subscribers monthly by All Kids Count.
Current and past issues also are
available on the All Kids Count Web
site: www.allkidscount.org.
IOM
Recommends Overhaul of Immunization
Financing for Infrastructure, Vaccine
Purchase
An
Institute of Medicine report released in
mid-June recommends an overhaul of the
way the nation’s immunization system
is financed, including an annual
increase of $175 million over current
spending for the next five years. The
increase is needed, the report says, to
shore up the system’s critical
infrastructure and to better integrate
public and private vaccination efforts.
Two-thirds of the funding would come
from the federal government in the form
of grants, with the remaining coming
from states. The formula for allocating
federal funding also would be changed to
provide a base level for all states, and
additional support would be tied to
need, capacity to meet needs, and
immunization performance. States would
be required to contribute in order to
receive extra support. The report
recommended an increase in funding for
vaccine purchase, and said that the
private sector should do more to pay for
vaccines for its patients. It also
recommended that the immunization system
be expanded to include at-risk adults.
The report noted that the patchwork of
public and private immunization
providers makes it difficult to monitor
the effectiveness of the system, and
that without “a coordinated
community-wide tracking system,”
children fall through the cracks. A news
release and more information on the
report is available online at www.national-academies.org.
Reports can be ordered for $50 + $4.50
shipping (prepaid) by calling (800)
624-6242. Presentations on the IOM
report will be made at the National
Immunization Conference; check the
schedule for date and time.
California
Update: Watch for Regionalization,
Legislation
California
has adopted several new strategies to
help it reach the Healthy People 2010
goal of
95% of children up to age 6 in a
population-based immunization registry,
while at the same time leveraging state
resources. Chief among the strategies in
this populous, geographically diverse,
58-county state is collaboration of
multiple counties to develop regional
registries, which would then connect to
a State Immunization Information System
(SIIS), or hub. The recommendations
followed a rigorous evaluation of local
registries.
Other
strategies include:
-
Continued support for regional
deployment of county-developed
immunization software in San
Bernardino, San Diego and San
Joaquin counties with other counties
near them;
-
Direct support for the
development and enhancement of
Contra Costa Co. software for
replication in a regional deployment
to replace failed systems and for
counties which have no registries;
-
Contracting with and providing
start-up funding to a third party
vendor to assist in the deployment
of the Contra Costa Co. registry
software in other counties;
-
Web enablement of all
the registries as the most
promising and cost-effective
strategy for private provider
participation; and
-
Piloting of HL7 standards for
bi-directional record interchange
between providers and local
registries and intrastate via a
state hub.
CA
DHS solicited applications
from counties to collaboratively
develop the regional immunization
registries.
Seven proposals were received:
three from software host counties and
four intending to use Contra Costa
software. All will be funded for the
fiscal year beginning in July 2000.
Presentations
on California’s regionalization will
be made at the July National
Immunization Conference (“Lessons
Learned,” Friday, July 7, 2-3:30) and
at the National Conference of the
American Public Health Association in
November.
Also
in California, legislation has been
submitted by Assemblyman Howard Wayne
that authorizes immunization registries,
requires standards for linkage among
systems, and requires health care
providers to participate in local and
regional registries when they have been
certified by the DHS. For
information, contact Ayesha Gill, agill1@dhs.ca.gov
Educating
State Legislators About Registries
Policymakers
are learning about the important role
immunization registries have in
sustaining immunization rates.
Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals and the
Council of State Governments in May
invited 25 state legislators to a
two-day meeting in Scottsdale, AZ, to
delineate the important role legislators
play in the effort to develop and
sustain immunization registries at a
regional and state level.
Speakers Jose Cordero and Robb
Linkins from the National Immunization
Program/CDC; Bruce Gellin, National
Immunization Network; Laurie Carmody,
All Kids Count; Amy Pisani, Every Child
By Two; Jim Hawkins, State of Idaho; and
Kathy Frederickson, Arizona Department
of Health Services, offered legislators
a detailed understanding of the issue.
In June, Wyeth-Ayerst hosted a
meeting at its Pearl River, NY, facility
to increase Texas state legislators’
understanding of the debate around safe
vaccines. Discussions on vaccine policy
and safety were led by Cyndee Long from
Global Public Policy, Wyeth-Ayerst;
Candie Phipps, Texas Pediatrics Society;
and Paul Offit, Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia. Laurie Carmody, All Kids
Count, addressed the role of registries
in increasing vaccine safety.
Legislators participating in the
conference came from Colorado, Idaho,
Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.
Members
of the American Immunization Registry
Association (AIRA) attending the
National Immunization Conference in
Washington, DC, are taking the
opportunity to educate congressional
health staffers from their home states
about the need for an increase in
immunization infrastructure funding and
the progress of immunization registries
in their areas. AIRA members interested
in this activity have been given the
contact information for the
congressional offices and appointments
have been made to visit with the
appropriate staff. In addition, advocacy
training will be provided July 5, 10:30
a.m. to noon, in Marriott Balcony C
room. Several congressional member
staffers have been invited to attend and
offer their advice on how best to
communicate the message. Contact:
Paula Soper, 410-767-6238, or Debbie
McCune-Davis, 602-253-0090 X234, for
further information.
REGISTRY
ISSUES AT THE NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION
CONFERENCE
The
agenda for this year’s CDC National
Immunization Conference (NIC) in
Washington, DC, July 4-8, features a
number of registry sessions. Check the
conference schedule to confirm topics,
speakers, dates, times and room
assignments.
Thursday,
July 6
3:15-4:45 p.m.
Provider
& Partner Participation in
Immunization Registries
Gary Urquhart, NIP, moderator; David
Bibus, WA; Roger Phillips, KY, Phyllis
Brown, STC; Cywandra Adams, VA; Denise
Bruno, NY
Friday,
July 7
10:20-10:35
a.m.
Immunization
Registries as Tools for Sustaining
Success: A Progress Report Findings
- Diane Simpson, NIP
2-3:30
p.m.
Immunization
Registries: Reaching Fully Operational
Status, All Kids Count, Phase II –
Kris Saarlas, All Kids Count National
Program Office, moderator; John
Lamoureux, Baltimore; Kathy Frederickson,
Arizona; Jan Forfang, Minnesota
Lessons
Learned – Gary Urquhart, NIP,
moderator; Amy Metroka, NYC; Ayesha
Gill, CA; Sherri Riddick, WA; Babatunde
Jinadu, Kern Co., CA
Overview
of the American Immunization Registry
Association (AIRA) – Paula Soper,
Debbie McCune Davis
Maximizing
the Quality of Your Registry Data -
Julie Gamez, NIP
4-5:30
p.m.
Expanding
the Usefulness of Immunization
Registries - Robb Linkins, NIP,
moderator
Implementing
Successful Registry Technology – John
Woodfin, NIP, moderator
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PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT US
AT:
All
Kids Count
750 Commerce Drive, Ste. 400
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GA 30030
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