EHRs can boost reporting in immunization registeries

Significant improvements in immunization registry use and efficiency of reporting were found after the launch of automated reporting through EHRs, according to research published in Applied Clinical Informatics.

Automating immunization data shared between health providers and public health agencies allows physicians to assist individual patients faster and more effectively, while also providing more immediate, cohesive community data to the agencies tasked with promoting public health, the research found.

Researchers from the Columbia University (CU) School of Nursing conducted a secondary analysis of 1.7 million de-identified records submitted between January 2007 and June 2011 by 217 primary care practices enrolled in the Primary Care Information Project—an initiative of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene—pre and post launch of automated reporting via an EHR. They examined differences in records submitted per day, lag time and documentation of eligibility for subsidized vaccines.

The research found that:

• The mean submissions per day did not change.
• Automated submissions of new and historical records increased by 18 percent and 98 percent respectively.
• Submissions within 14 days increased from 84 percent to 87 percent, and within two days increased from 60 percent to 77 percent.
• Median lag time decreased from 13 to 10 days. Documentation of eligibility decreased.

“The efficiency offered by automation has significant implications for managing public health, whether it is by informing a local physician on the health of an individual or informing policymakers on health trends within a whole community,” said lead researcher and CU nursing professor Jacqueline Merrill, RN, MPH, DNSc. “For example, EHRs greatly enhance our ability to help at-risk populations for whom up-to-date immunizations are critical, such as children, immunosuppressed individuals or the chronically ill. Before automated registries, reporting was less structured and data submittal was less consistent.”