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MAY 1999 Immunization registry news from All Kids Count. Issue Number 3 May 17, 1999 Welcome to 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 are available on the All Kids Count Website: www.allkidscount.org 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 Highlights from the All Kids Count Annual Immunization Registry Conference Conference Presentations Underscore Registry Quality, Cost, Time Benefits Highlights from the All Kids Count Annual Immunization Registry Conference The conference's record number of attendees spoke to the high level of interest in immunization registries in both the public and private health care sectors. Remarks of the conference's plenary speakers underscored the growing role of information technology in achieving immunization goals: Dr. David Satcher, US Surgeon General (remarks presented on videotape): "Registries represent change, and change is often viewed with reluctance and skepticism. But as the millenium approaches, it is clear that computers and computer information systems are the norm." Jan K. Malcolm, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health: "Information technology has to be harnessed as part of immunization strategies." New thinking about how immunization registries might be developed and implemented and applied to new areas of health care also was evidenced: Michael Osterholm, All Kids Count Advisory Committee: "Immunization registries are the guide for the 'public health highway' of the future." William C. Watson, Director, All Kids Count National Program Office: "Why can't we take a leaf from private enterprise and have the hardware and the responsibility for systems maintenance for several different places located in a separate organization half way across the country? The users would continue to be the providers and the owners of the data bases would be the official health agencies."
Conference Presentations Underscore Registry Quality, Cost, Time Benefits John Fontanesi, Kaiser Immunization Tracking System (KITS), Kaiser Permanente, Southern California, conducted a business analysis of three different immunization registries. His study documents major cost offsets for the users of electronic immunization registries - the providers - including a 20% increase in staff productivity, targeted re-immunization on vaccine lot recalls, immunization record printing and VFC/CASA/HEDIS reporting. He concludes that after three years, a provider will save more than he/she spends on connecting to an electronic immunization registry. He also concludes that a provider's coverage rate will not increase unless the information in the registry is used to alter immunization practices. Marlene Lugg, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California, documented a 25% increase in children up-to-date for shots over the previous year as a result of flagging charts for immunizations past due. Gloria Tobias, Countryside Public Health, Madison, Minn., demonstrated how the Southwestern Minnesota Immunization Information System (SIIS) was instrumental in controlling a pertussis outbreak at a public school in a small rural community by identifying those children at risk. Thirty-two cases were identified among 186 persons with pertussis-like symptoms. James Nordin of HealthPartners, a Minnesota HMO with 800,000 enrollees, documented cost savings and improved quality of care for children and adults, who are also included in the registry. His data show a 2/3 reduction in children not up-to-date at 2 years as the result of implementation of a registry with prompts at each visit. Data also show a direct impact on influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates for adults age 65+ (82% and 85% respectively) following registry prompts for all visits and reminder/recall activities. The HMO saved $4 in direct medical costs for every $1 spent on increasing adult influenza immunization rates; a similar savings for pneumococcal disease is expected. Edna DeVries, Marshfield Clinic, Wis., reported that the Regional Early Childhood Immunization Registry (RECIN), which includes children and adults, cut the time required for each immunization by 20 fold during fall flu clinics. Previously, each immunization required 20 minutes to register the patient on a log sheet, give and record the immunization, look up the patient's ID number, request the medical record, create an event appointment, and enter data into the financial system. The RECIN system reduces this time to one minute by automating all previous manual steps, including interfacing data with the billing system. The only ones complaining are the nurses: "We used to wait for the patient to get through registration. Now they're all queued up behind us. We can't immunize them as fast as the clerks get them registered." Conference Proceedings @ www.allkidscount.org
Registry Conference 2000
Registry Association Proposed A meeting of interested registry directors was held at the All Kids Count Annual Immunization Registry Conference. They identified potential benefits of the association, included facilitating communications; coordinating activities such as standards and policy development; and providing leadership and advocacy. A workgroup planning meeting will be held at the CDC on May 20; a follow-up meeting is tentatively planned for the June National Immunization
Conference in Dallas. Debbie McCune-Davis, Executive Director of The Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization (TAPII), is serving as advisor. As the workgroup progresses, updates will be posted on the CDC's
IMM-REG listserv. Please direct questions, requests to be added to the listserv or offers for assistance to Beverly Ashton at CDC, 404-639-8585/ bka1@cdc.gov
, or KC Edwards at 404-687-5622/
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.
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