|
MARCH 1999
Immunization registry news from All Kids Count.
Issue Number 1 March 12, 1999
Welcome
to the first issue of SnapShots, a 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 will be available on the All Kids Count Website:
www.allkidscount.org/resources.htm.
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
NVAC
FORWARDS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL NETWORK OF REGISTRIES
Recommendations for developing a nationwide system of
community- and state-based registries that will help to sustain the nation's high immunization coverage rates were approved by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) in January. NVAC drafted the document,
guided by public testimony of experts gathered over the last year and parent focus groups. The report will be sent to the Department of Health and Human Services in April. The recommendations focus on four central
issues: protecting the privacy of individuals and the confidentiality of information; ensuring provider participation; overcoming technical and operational challenges; and determining the resources needed to develop
and maintain immunization registries. The recommendations are online: www.cdc.gov/nip/registry.
Back to Top
FOR PARENTS, REGISTRY BENEFITS OUTWEIGH CONCERNS
A
series of 20 focus groups conducted last fall with parents representing different racial/ethnic groups and education levels found that for the vast majority of parents, the benefits of immunization registries
outweigh their concerns. Parents recognized the value of immunizations and expressed support for anything that would increase the accuracy of their records while also decreasing the amount of work on their part,
such as obtaining immunization information for school entry. They also liked the convenience of centralized records, and the timely reminders that they would receive. At the same time, parents want information to be
shared only with health care providers and schools, and they want to have access to the registry information so that they can ensure that it is accurate. They wanted to know how the registry information would be
adequately safeguarded. Some parents did not want children automatically included in a registry, but indicated that they probably would not "opt out" if they understood exactly what information was in the
registry and who would have access to it. A complete report on the focus groups can be found online: www.cdc.gov/nip/registry
.
Back to Top
NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK: MAKE REGISTRIESPART OF THE STORY
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 18-24, 1999, is an annual observance that highlights the importance of timely infant immunization. This year's theme is "Immunization: Our Work Has
Just Begun." A "Community Guide" and "Implementation Handbook" for NIIW are now available from the CDC. The "Community Guide" contains dozens of activities to raise awareness of
the importance of immunizations and improve immunization rates. The "Implementation Handbook" contains a variety of reproducible materials for parents, providers, and specific target audiences, including a
fact sheet on immunization registries. This is an excellent opportunity to let the community and media know the benefits of your registry to children, parents, the community and providers. Copies of the guide and
handbook may be obtained from CDC. Additional copies of the kids can be obtained by calling the National Immunization Information Hotline, 1-800-232-2522 (English) or 1-800-232-0233 (Spanish).
Back to Top
HUMANSOFT SOURCE CODE ASSESSED
Detailed reports on the maintainability of
HumanSoft products (ADIOS-IIS, ADIOS-EBC, Acclaim , ProAcclaim, and WebAcclaim) by consultants Booz-Allen, Hamilton were presented to the HumanSoft Task Force in late February. The Task Force comprises
representatives from All Kids Count, CDC and immunization registries that use Human Soft products. Each product was assessed in seven categories: 1) application organization, 2) source code documentation, 3)
programming methodologies, 4) database design, 5) system documentation, 6) development tools, and 7) risk factors associated with Y2K compliance. The reports also provide information on the development environment,
operational environment, effort required to upgrade the development environment, estimated costs for deployment and staffing requirements for each product. Contact KC Edwards, kcedwards@taskforce.org or call (404) 687-5622.
Back to Top
ARKANSAS REGISTRY BRINGS NEW APPROACH TO LEGACY DATA DILEMMA
Arkansas Department of
Health (ADH), in partnership with Scientific Technologies Corporation (STC), has redesigned their immunization registry from a mainframe to a client/server environment to address a problem common to public health
departments: a system that is not conducive to efficient and cost-effective data sharing with providers, parents, schools, etc.
Under the new design, the legacy data from the existing Wang mainframe system
will be imported into a SQL/Server that contains a current, updated copy of the master registry. Immunization records from the legacy system are processed through a series of quality control applications.
Unduplicated patient data is electronically exported to the database on the Immunization fileserver and loaded into this "immunization only" registry. This information then becomes the resource for private
provider and outside access. Evolving technologies can be used to access this information, without concern for exposing the state's entire public health information resources. This design will provide ADH immediate
access to the data using their existing infrastructure while moving toward the goal of phasing out the mainframe system. Immunization program staff soon will be able to regularly assess the state's immunization
rates and will have hands-on access to data for daily exports to CASA, geographic information systems, additional data quality control and the ability to generate on-demand reports. The goal: Wang free by 2003.
Contact: Phyllis Brown Phyllis_Brown/stc@stchome.com
or Karen Fowler kfowler@mail.doh.state.ar.us
Back to Top
MICHIGAN PROVIDERS GET THE PERSONAL TOUCH
A
survey of providers in Region 2 (the southwest corner of the state) of Michigan's Childhood Immunization Registry (MCIR) revealed that face-to-face contact with a registry representative was the most effective
marketing strategy. Mass mailings with no follow-up and emphasis on the legal requirements for participation were the least effective. Three registry coordinators handle the on-on-one recruitment for 450 provider
sites in the region. The personal touch is paying off: 297 of those sites are already participating in the registry. Region 2's first private provider went online last winter. The Grand Rapids provider was so
supportive of MCIR that his office served as the "hub" for entering historic data (1994 to present) for more than 50 other providers' offices in the area. Contact: Laura Korten,
Lzkort@kalcounty.com.
Back to Top
NEW YORK: KEYS TO REACHING ENROLLMENT GOALS
New York's Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) reached 100% public and private provider enrollment in the last six months, according to the All Kids
Count Indicator Study, July-December 1998. Of these, 100% of the public providers and 78% of the private providers were submitting immunization information. Although reporting immunizations is mandatory in New York
City, achieving these percentages is no small feat: New York has 104 public provider sites and 1,150 private provider sites. In addition to mandatory reporting, the registry identifies two additional keys to
success: (1) one consistent person who establishes a relationship with the provider to give the provider information, to answer questions, to provide technical assistance, to inform them about training
opportunities, etc.; and (2) an actively managed data base that identifies providers who are not reporting, or who are reporting irregularly, so that they can be reminded of the need to report and assisted in
establishing a reporting routine. Contact: Amy Metroka, ametroka@yahoo.com
.
Back toTop
RHODE ISLAND IMMUNIZATION REGISTRY IDENTIFIES KIDS FOR LEAD SCREENING
The benefits of an integrated database like KIDS NET, designed to link eight pediatric data bases, are becoming apparent. The Lead Screening Program has run a pilot test using information from the registry
to help identify those children who have not been screened for lead. The Lead Program was able to follow up with these children by letters and phone calls and subsequently increased the number of children screened
by 25%. Since the pilot was a success, the registry data will be used to augment future screening activities. Contact: Amy Zimmerman, amyz@doh.state.ri.us.
Back to Top
ALL KIDS COUNT ANNUAL IMMUNIZATION REGISTRY CONFERENCE, APRIL 27-29
It's not too late to register for the annual All Kids Count Annual Immunization Registry Conference, to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota. This year's
conference is co-sponsored by CDC's National Immunization Program, INPHO (Information Network for Public Health Officials), and the Minnesota Department of Health. Program information and registration are online at www.allkidscount.org/conference.
.
Or call All Kids Count, (404) 687-5615 for information and registration.
Back to Top
We hope you will forward this e-mail to others who may be interested in receiving this newsletter. To SUBSCRIBE to SnapShots, please go to http://www.allkidscount.org/suscribe. This information will remain confidential and will
not be sold or passed on to other parties. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please go to
http://www.allkidscount.org/suscribe
The Spring issue of the All Kids Count immunization registry newsletter Focus on Immunization Registries is available online: www.allkidscount.org.
PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS, Please contact us at:
All Kids Count
750 Commerce Drive, Ste. 400
Decatur, GA 30030
Voice: 404-687-5615
FAX: 404-371-0415
Web: http://www.allkidscount.org
E-mail:
SNAPSHOTS@allkidscount.org
Back to Registry News & Information
|
