Florida SHOTS™: Keeping SHOTS in Check

As part of their new patient process, office staff access Florida SHOTS and print the patient’s immunization history to be part of the chart (even if the history is empty). Patients get entered into Florida SHOTS on their first visit. The doctor wants to know if they’re in the registry and whether they have shots in there. According to Linda, “Dr. Berger trusts Florida SHOTS over any records the patients bring.”

Office staff keep the charts to the side until the end of the day and then enter all shots that were given that day. If a patient needs to take an updated shot card with them, the shots are entered while the patient is there so that they don’t have to return for the 680.

Staff assess Florida SHOTS and the vaccine administration record in the chart to determine what shots have been given. If a parent says that the child went to the health department for a shot, staff look in the registry for that prior to giving any shots.

If a patient comes in without a record, staff look in Florida SHOTS first. If the patient is not in the system, staff have to contact the other doctor for the shots. The doctor won’t give shots without a shot record.

They see an average of 40 to 50 patients per day, and about 50% of them get shots.

Staff refer to the registry all the time to see what shots patients are due for or what’s overdue.

At triage, if a patient is behind on his or her shots on the chart and the mom says that the child got shots at the health department, then they print the Florida SHOTS immunization history page. They transfer that information to the office shot record.

About 20% of patients need multiple copies of their 680s, e.g., for school and daycare. Additionally, children need an updated blue form at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 4 years old, and 12 years old. They also need a blue form once per year for daycare.

Staff always certify the records when they put them in.

According to Linda, the computer makes you more astute with details because it catches mistakes. For example, if you misspell a name, you won’t find it in the system. If you have an incorrect date of birth, the VIS date is incorrect, or the wrong date is on a shot, the computer won’t accept it, so it makes staff much more accurate. (For example, it highlighted their patient that day that missed a booster, so when she comes back in, they will give it to her.) Humans often make mistakes that the computer won’t allow to be made, so Florida SHOTS is more accurate.

For more information on how Florida SHOTS can save you time, see the Time Savings Study Flyer, or watch the Race for the Records: Paper vs. Florida SHOTS video.

1. Median time to hand write a blue form is 2½ minutes. Double that if a patient needs one for school and daycare. Updates also must be written at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 4 years old, and 12 years old. Alternatively, you can use Florida SHOTS to search for, electronically certify, and print a 680 in less than a minute.
2. It takes 2 1/2 minutes to write out a 680 form but only 27 seconds to certify and print an accurate, up-to-date 680 form from Florida SHOTS. This saves an average of 2 minutes for each patient that needs a duplicate or updated 680.
3. Data upload allows you to batch and transmit an unlimited number of patient immunization records to the Florida SHOTS secure database in less than 4 minutes.
4. By using Florida SHOTS for a typical patient visit rather than hand writing a 680, you save on average 10 hours per 1,000 patient immunization visits. (This includes time spent using Florida SHOTS to search for the patient’s immunization history, adding missing historical data, adding that day’s shots, certifying, and printing records.)

• 10 RN hours = $247.20*
• 10 LPN hours = $174.60*
• 10 certified nurse assistant hours = $105.80*
• 10 administrative/office manager hours = $144.40*

*Cost savings are calculated based on the median hourly rate by job for the state of Florida, 2/15/09, and do not include overhead and benefits costs associated with staff.

For more information on how Florida SHOTS can save you time, see the Time Savings Study Flyer or watch the Race for the Records: Paper vs. Florida SHOTS video.