KEYWORDS:
technology assessment, immunization registries

BACKGROUND:
A medicaid managed care organization (MCO), is developing a web-based information system to help practices improve the receipt of preventive services to pediatric members. A survey was conducted March - May, 2001, of 383 pediatric provider sites.

OBJECTIVE(S):
Survey objectives included:
1) Determine level of interest and perceived concerns/benefits of a proposed web-based pediatric information system and coutywide immunization registry.
2) Assess the technology used or planned by the pediatric providers.
3) Assess the types of resources or services interested practices would need to participate.

METHOD(S):
Survey tool material was reviewed with several focus groups. Community collaboration was sought and utilized. Incentives were offered for returning the survey, with an added incentive for completing the survey online. All non-respondents were contacted with follow-up calls and faxed survey forms when needed.

RESULT(S):
Response rate of 43% represents practices with 59% of the MCO enrollees under 21 and 63% of the pediatric preventive services claims submitted in 2000. Ninety percent of respondents were interested or very interested in computer generated forms and reports. Sixty-four percent were interested in participating in a county-wide immunization registry. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents had at leat one computer in the practice, and 72% were web-enabled.

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Interest in the proposed information system outweighs concerns over the use of the web. Offices have the computers needed, but the current locations may need modification to make the information systems most effective. Equipment and resource needs of practices were documented that will need to be addressed in order for practices to use a computer-based information system.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Learn techniques of surveying providers using both web-based and paper surveys and lessons learned about improving response rates.
Learn findings of the survey and how clinicians feel about participating in a preventive/public health initiative.