BACKGROUND:
Vaccine inventory and accountability has become a primary concern for the the CDC and the states. The CDC is condsidering a more national VFC inventory, delivery, and accountability system. Considerable money and effort and been expended in deploying statwide immunization registries. These registries need to play a key role in any new vaccine inventory and accountability system whether its state or national focused.

OBJECTIVE:
Discuss the requirements of the new CDC vaccine accountability system and its impact on state immunization registries. Discuss different solutions on how state immunization registries can connect with the new national system. Discuss the pros and cons of these solutions.

METHOD:
Based on eight states who have immunization registries and, to some extent, different vaccine inventory and accountability issues - present these issues and the solutions that are needed to satisfy both the federal and stat requirements.

RESULT:
Though each state's vaccine inventory and accountability environment was somewhat different - the basic requirement for data communication with a national system were the same. States need timely information and certain authority to conduct provider education and to maintain their close working relationships with those providers that are ordering vaccine.

CONCLUSION:
Immunization registries need to start showing value in areas other than raising immunization rates. The current effort of nationalizing the VFC vaccine inventory and accountability system is one of these areas. There are solutions avaialable that can sataisfy both the national requirements and the state/local requirements in terms of vaccine inventory and accountability data.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Understand the requirements of the Vaccine Enhancement Program from both the federal and state/local perspective.
2. Understand the role that immunization registries have and the benefits that can be attained by integrating the registry
3. Understand different architectual solutions describing how a state immunization registry can be utilized in a national vaccine inventory and accountability system.