KEYWORDS:
(ASIIS), Registry, Cost-effective
BACKGROUND:
As of January 1, 1998 Arizona vaccine providers are required to report all immunization data on children age 0 through 18 years to a state immunization registry. The Arizona State Immunization Information System (ASIIS) contains 1.9 million individual records and 13 million shots! ASIIS funding was in jeopardy this legislative session due a severe budget crisis. Community Health Nursing (CHN) provides immunizations to 100,000 children annually administering over 300,000 vaccines and enters all data in ASIIS electronically. At five permanent immunization sites the record check capacity of ASIIS is available and frequently used.
OBJECTIVE:
To document the cost-effectiveness of a central (state) registry.
METHOD:
To provide data in support of the threatened cut to ASIIS a tracking form was developed and implemented at five CHN Immunization sites. This form tracked daily immunization information retrieved from the registry. A search was done when a child’s immunization status was in question. Vaccines recorded in the registry were not repeated. The cost of each vaccine found and saved was documented.
RESULT:
The effective use of the registry reduced the number of vaccines administered thus saving vaccine costs. In just two months (April/May 2003) $18,279.28 was saved in vaccine costs.
CONCLUSION:
The use of a registry has numerous benefits including providing staff with access to current immunization data on a child, reduction of duplication of vaccines administered, and saving vaccines costs and pain for the child. It allows retrieval of immunization records for school officials and parents. The registry provides a means for improved monitoring of immunization levels and is cost-effective.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To demonstrate the cost savings of vaccine by the effective retrieval of immunization data
Back to Immunization Registries: Evaluation of Cost Effective Strategies
Back to The 2003 Immunization Registry Conference (October 27-29, 2003)