BACKGROUND:
As of January 1, 1998 Arizona vaccine providers are required to report all immunization data on children age 0 through 18 years to the Arizona State Immunization System (ASIIS. The system contains 2.1 million individual records 16.7 million shots!During 2003 legislative session ASIIS funding was in jeopardy. Community Health Nursing (CHN)serves upwards of 100,000 children annually. Determining the cost effectiveness of ASIIS assisted in securing funding and making ASIIS an essential component of service delivery.

OBJECTIVE:
To improve client services through the on-site use of the registry.

METHOD:
A tracking form was used to document immunization data retrieved from the registry at five CHN sites for four months. A registry search was done when a child's immunization status was in question. Vaccines recorded in the registry were not repeated. Cost of vaccine saved was documented.

RESULT:
The cost of vaccine saved from April to Septeber was $48,959 and the admin cost saved was $29,000. Because of the cost study a record check at all CHN immunization sites is required for all children without a reliable record.

CONCLUSION:
The use of a registry to verify records when the child is presenting for service saves money, reduces risk from over or under immunization, and saves pain! On-site record retrieval is now an essential component of CHN services.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To demonstrate effective integration of a registry in service delivery