Quality Improvement for School-Located Vaccine Clinic Registration In Maine

Background: The state of Maine is primarily rural, with a centralized, state-operated public health system. Prior to 2009, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MaineCDC) conducted school-located vaccine clinics (SLVCs) for outbreak control only. In response to pandemic influenza, SLVCs delivered approximately 100,000 doses of pH1N1 vaccine to Maine children in over 90% of Maine schools and achieved vaccination rates greater than 80% in some schools. Subsequently MaineCDC recognized that the partnerships and infrastructure developed for pandemic response could be leveraged to offer seasonal influenza vaccine to students in Maine schools.  Quality improvement (QI) efforts were initiated to streamline and improve processes related to administering SLVCs statewide.  

Setting: Maine

Population: N/A

Project Description: SLVC planning in Maine has been the focus of a continuous quality improvement effort using the Lean process improvement model. An SLVC Improvement Team was established and a charter was created defining the scope of work, timelines, deliverables, and responsibilities. We evaluated the existing paper-based registration system and are developing an electronic-based registration system which is integrated within ImmPact2, the state’s web-based immunization registry.  The registration process is being re-designed to streamline activities for SLVC sites and to facilitate vaccine management, roster billing, and documentation of dose administration.

Results/Lessons Learned: The SLVC Improvement Team mapped the current state and desired future state and created an implementation plan to guide the process of converting paper-based enrollment to an electronic-based system.  We integrated multiple paper forms into a single form and we are now developing an electronic enrollment form embedded in Immpact2, which will be piloted and implemented during the 2012-2013 SLVC campaign.  The envisioned future state process is a more streamlined approach that will better serve the needs of DOE, local school districts and cooperating medical providers conducting SLVCs.