Florida SHOTS™: Keeping SHOTS in Check

For access to the latest from your Florida SHOTS team, check out the current issue of the SHOTS Tracker, which is now available online.

In this issue we’re covering how Florida SHOTS is getting national attention, helping Total MD software users utilize data upload, highlighting all our data exchange partners and welcoming one of our newest practices.

SHOTS Tracker – Volume 6, Issue 2 [English]

SHOTS Tracker – Volume 6, Issue 2 [Spanish]

The Florida Department of Health received an award based on their ranking in the National Immunization Survey (NIS). Florida placed second in the nation among all states ranked by percentage of children complete for the 4:3:1:3:3:1 series (4 Dtap, 3 polio, 1 MMR, 3 haemophilus influenzae, 3 hepatitis B, and 1 pnemocococcal conjugate) for the survey conducted in 2008/2009.

The NIS is sponsored by the National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) and conducted jointly by NCIRD and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The NIS is a list-assisted random-digit-dialing telephone survey followed by a mailed survey to children’s immunization providers that monitor childhood immunization coverage. Since 1994, states have been ranked by NCIRD for high coverage levels by particular vaccination series completion in children age 19 to 35 months.

The significance of high immunization coverage levels is extremely important in the ongoing challenge to ensure that morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable disease incidence remains at an all-time historical low.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, Director NCIRD, CDC; Sherry Riddick, President AIRA; Mara Ohrt (Alaska); Amy Metroka and Dr. Jane Zucker (NYC); Susan Lincicome, Director Florida SHOTS; and Charles Alexander, Bureau Chief of Florida Bureau of Immunization.

The American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) awarded Florida SHOTS with the 2009 AIRA Center of Excellence (COE) Award during the opening plenary of the 44th National Immunization Conference (NIC) in April. The criteria for this year’s award centered on data reporting, vaccine management and provider participation in immunization information systems (IIS) during the H1N1 2009 influenza epidemic.

Rising to the Challenge
The Florida Department of Health needed to be able to rapidly order and distribute a projected 15 million doses of H1N1 vaccine to an estimated 8,100 ship-to sites. Florida’s IIS, Florida SHOTS, was identified as the only statewide system with the capability to accomplish real-time allocation and ordering of the H1N1 vaccine. By adapting the Florida SHOTS system, we were able to efficiently and quickly use the registry to accomplish these ordering and distribution tasks.

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Less than half of the teen population get their Meningococcal vaccines and even fewer adolescents complete their HPV series.

Vaccinate all your teen patients and safeguard their records in Florida SHOTS. From birth through adulthood, Florida SHOTS stores comprehensive immunization histories.

Q: I am thinking of enrolling in Florida SHOTS but I don’t know if I have time to enter stacks of records for our existing patients. Is there a more efficient way to enter historical records?

A: The quickest way is through data upload, which allows you to export historical records from your current software and upload them to the registry in bulk. But if your office can’t do data upload at this time, don’t worry! Keep in mind that many health-care providers use Florida SHOTS, and your patients’ existing records may already be in the system and ready to be updated with additional vaccinations given by your practice.

Some offices actively focus on an age group for data entry, say 0-2 years of age, since these children most frequently receive shots and updated DH 680 forms. You may also wish to pull charts for children who have appointments the next day and enter or update their vaccination records in Florida SHOTS so that you will be ready when the patient arrives.

The quickest, easiest way to input previously given vaccinations is on the historical shot entry screen. Then flag charts that have been entered with a Florida SHOTS “I’m registered” sticker so that you know the record is already in Florida SHOTS and you only need to update the record with the vaccinations given that day.