Myvaxindiana: Inviting Consumers to Partner in Their Health

Background:  In March 2012, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) launched the Consumer Innovation Challenge (CIC).  State health information exchange grantees were asked to implement innovative approaches to sharing electronic health information with consumers and enable consumer-mediated exchange through which patients can aggregate, use, and share their own information. In response, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) developed the MyVaxIndiana secure web portal and smart phone applications.

Program background:  ISDH maintains CHIRP (Children and Hoosier’s Immunization Registry Program), an immunization information system that collects, forecasts, manages, and shares vaccine data with registered medical providers in Indiana. The MyVaxIndiana portal allows users to access their immunization records as they are maintained within CHIRP.  To begin this process, a registered CHIRP provider creates a PIN that grants a person specific patient access to the record he/she has requested. A parent or guardian can also request a PIN to view a dependent’s immunization history—individuals, including minors, can do the same for their own records. The portal provides a number of options to view and save data: the ability to print and save the official immunization record, download the record into a file format compatible with the PHR, download via Blue Button, or request to have it faxed or mailed.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The MyVaxIndiana project achieved positive results in a short timeframe. In April 2012, the MyVaxIndiana concept was created. In May 2012, the team developed the application for the Web-based portal of MyVaxIndiana, tested the connection to CHIRP and performed a security code review. During June 2012, a pilot test with 23 active CHIRP providers was conducted to test the application and gather feedback. After only 4 months, on July 23, 2012, the MyVaxIndiana portal was rolled out to consumers. As of April 18, 2013, 26,178 PINs have been issued and 3,834 total records had been accessed through MyVaxIndiana.  A messaging campaign was carefully planned and implemented to help promote MyVaxIndiana to both providers and consumers. The campaign included a paid media buy, earned media strategy, promotion within ISDH, and creation and distribution of promotional materials.  A well attended press conference kicked-off the program launch. Other promotional strategies targeting providers included e-mails from the State Health Commissioner, webinars, and presentations to local health departments.

Conclusions:  The MyVaxIndiana is one of the first health communication tools of its kind in the nation and it has proven to be a useful tool for the residents of Indiana in becoming a partner in their own care. Participation among both providers and consumers continues to grow each month. Consumers have begun to ask their providers to sign up for CHIRP so they may get access to their information through the MyVaxIndiana tool.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Health IT plays a vital role in improving consumer engagement in health care. Tools such as electronic health records, patient portals, and secure messaging allow patients to gain access to their health information and enhance communication with their health care providers.