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MARCH 2000 Immunization registry news from All Kids Count. Issue Number 10 March 21, 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 Website: www.allkidscount.org. Look for a Special Anniversary Issue of SnapShots SnapShots is now one year old! We hope that the information included each month has been useful and encouraging to developers of immunization registries. An "anniversary" issue will be sent to all subscribers later this week featuring stories about how registry data is being used to improve the health of children, increase vaccine safety, streamline providers' work flow, and lower costs for providers and health plans. Please download and use this document to inform others about the progress of registries. If you would like to receive a printed version of this Special Report, email . Please let us know how many copies you would like and your delivery address. Registry Conference Updates Over 350 attendees from across the U.S. and several other countries are expected at the Annual Immunization Registry Conference at the Newport Marriott in Newport, RI, March 27-29. A couple of late additions have been made to the already packed agenda.
NIP will publish proceedings from the registry conference and make them available on its Web site. NVAC Approves Minimum Specifications for Privacy, Confidentiality At its February meeting, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) approved the updated chapter on confidentiality with minimum specifications for privacy and confidentiality that is part of the Community Immunization Registries Manual (first published in 1997). The new chapter addresses confidentiality policies, user agreements, parent notification, parental consent, use of immunization data, access to and disclosure of registry information, liability penalties for unauthorized disclosures, data retention and disposal, and security of data. The new chapter will be included in registration packets for those attending the March registry conference in Rhode Island. It will be available on the NIP Web site, www.cdc.gov/nip/registry. Registries and the Web: Wave of the Present Representatives of 23 registry projects converged on Ontario, CA, in February for a two-day All Kids Count conference to learn about Web technology
for registries. An expert panel guided discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of developing and implementing Web technology, and Web-based interfaces that are currently being used by registries. Products,
environments, security and implementation were reviewed, and Web products were demonstrated. The experts panel included John Quinn, Center for Emerging Health Care Technologies, Ernst and Young; Noam Arzt, HLN
Consulting, LLC; Mike Garcia, Scientific Technologies Corporation, Inc.; and Gene Shook, Health Information Institute. Panelists from registries also discussed their experiences with the managerial and programmatic
impacts of developing and deploying a Web-based interface. Proceedings from the conference will be available soon on the All Kids Count Web site, Preventing Extra-immunization: A Role for Registries A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (March 8, 2000), indicates that vaccine doses in excess of recommendations cost the nation at least $26.5 million a year. The study of 19 to 35-month old children showed that 21% of American children receive at least one extra vaccine dose. The challenge, the researchers note, is to reduce over-immunization and still combat under-immunization – precisely what immunization registries do by providing timely, accurate information on children's shots. In an editorial about the article, it was noted that registries face numerous challenges, primarily "technology, data, confidentiality, beliefs and money." But the editorial also pointed out that "Proper immunization practice is grounded in the availability of accurate and timely information about the vaccination history," and that "for lasting solutions it will be important to continue to develop registries that help link children's immunization histories across multiple providers." HIPAA Legislation: No End in Sight Almost 50,000 public comments on the Department of Health and Human Services 600-page proposal to establish federal privacy protections for electronically transmitted medical data were received by the Feb. 17 deadline. DHHS had drafted regulations when Congress failed to meet the August 1999 deadline for the passage of legislation that would protect medical records privacy while allowing insurers and others sufficient access to patient data. Given the number of comments that must be examined, DHHS would not predict when a final regulation might be ready, although prospective dates range from April of this year to 2001. Medical groups and privacy advocates argue that the proposed regulations fall short of protecting personal medical information in some areas, while insurance and business groups argued that they overreach. Comments submitted and concerns raised at a House Ways and Means health subcommittee hearing on the proposal urged Congress to re-enter the debate. Registries' Benefit to Schools and Child Care Studied The time required for school nurses and administrative staff to determine if students in grades K-12 at every school are up to date with their immunizations is estimated to amount to millions of dollars. Information from a limited number of states give annual cost offset estimates ranging from $4.2 million in Arizona to $12 million in Florida. Currently, no estimates exist of the time/cost to determine if children in child care programs are up to date. The National Immunization Program/CDC and All Kids Count are now surveying state immunization program managers to get a better idea of the cost offsets that could be realized in all states if schools, day care and HeadStart programs could access a population-based immunization registry containing all children's immunization histories. Results of the survey should be available late this spring. A recent survey of the 16 All Kids Count registry projects showed that many registries are beginning discussions with school administrators about how to link schools to the registry, where legislation, rules or regulations allow. 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. We hope you will forward this e-mail to others who may be interested in receiving SnapShots. To SUBSCRIBE,
click here.
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.
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