1. Contact Mary Holtmeier, (800) 652-3739, at VIP Medicine, LLC to order the Florida SHOTS immunization interface.
2. Contact Holly Graff, Florida SHOTS Implementation Specialist, at 904-755-5167, or Holly_Graff@doh.state.fl.us in order to complete the forms to receive a secure ftp site from Florida SHOTS. Immunization data will be uploaded automatically to Florida SHOTS on a daily basis.

Preparing D.H. Form 680s for your patients will be easier than ever before with the Parent Portal; however, patients can only access electronically certified 680s, so it is crucial that you electronically certify every patient’s shot record.

How does the Parent Portal work?

• Doctors have up to 10 days after a patient visit to electronically certify that patient’s shot record and issue the patient a pin number.
• You also have the option to certify shot records immediately and give your patient their pin number at check-out.
• Records are electronically certified with the simple click of a button (i.e., “Certify Only” or “Certify and Print”) in Florida SHOTS.
• The electronically certified 680 will be saved as a pdf with the Florida state seal in the background.
• Doctors give patients the system-generated pin number so patients (or parents of patients) can access their shot records online.
• Parents go online any time of the day or night to print out an electronically certified 680.
• Electronically certified 680s are accepted by schools, day cares, camps, etc. Any of these organizations that have enrolled in Florida SHOTS also have direct access to electronically certified 680s.

What is an electronically certified 680?
An electronically certified 680 is a digital method of signing and thereby certifying shot records within your practice. Rather than having physicians sign off on every shot record, Florida SHOTS stores an electronic signature that can certify shot records within your practice each time you click the “Certify Only” or “Certify and Print” button after selecting “Create Current Form 680.” (See this issue’s “Tech Tips” to learn how to set registry preferences to create electronically certified forms.)

Once a shot record is electronically certified, it is stored in Florida SHOTS for quick access for reprints, easy searching of records, instant access for schools and day cares, and availability to parents through the Parent Portal.

As patients, schools, and day cares begin to use the online option for accessing electronically certified 680s, health-care providers will enjoy a dramatic decrease in the number of records they need to print, sign, and distribute every day. By giving patients access to their shot records, patients can take responsibility for their own record keeping.

As we work on the final touches to the Parent Portal, we will keep all our providers informed of launch details. Visit www.flshots.com/training to download an English or Spanish version of our Quick Tips guide or call (877) 888 – SHOT to learn more about electronically certified 680s.

A: After logging into the Florida SHOTS registry, your local account administrator must select “Personnel List” under “Administration” in the left menu. On the “Personnel Maintenance” screen:

• Set up permissions for individuals whose names will be used to electronically sign the new 680 Forms (“Certify Form 680”).
• Set up permissions for users who will need access to issue the certified forms (“Create Certified Form 680”).

August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month, an annual event that promotes the benefits and importance of immunizations across the lifespan. Immunization is the most effective, proven method to prevent certain types of illness. Unfortunately, there are still people in the U.S. who die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.

The month of August is the perfect time to remind parents, caregivers and health-care providers about the importance of knowing they and their charges are up-to-date on immunizations as they prepare for the return to school, college and the upcoming influenza season.

Florida SHOTS recognizes the importance of keeping immunization records safe, updated and accessible and works with health-care providers, schools and childcare centers throughout the state of Florida to simplify record keeping in a free, statewide online registry.

To learn more about Florida SHOTS enrollment and benefits, please visit www.flshots.com or call (877) 888-SHOT.

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]

Your feedback will be used as we move forward to refine the system to best meet your needs. You may designate anyone in the office who is knowledgeable about your immunization practices to respond.

To participate go to www.brunetgarcia.com/survey.

If you cannot access the survey online, call Jenny Camet at 904-346-1977 to request a faxed copy of the survey.

Spread the word: Florida SHOTS is not just for pediatricians!

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.

Real-Time Data Reporting
During the distribution of H1N1 vaccine in Florida, real-time statewide data reporting was generated from direct data entry and date upload from partners. The Florida SHOTS action plan ensured that statewide reporting was available to provide a rapid response to any question that arose regarding the status of the H1N1 campaign in Florida. However, reported doses administered were less than expected.

An Innovative Approach
Florida SHOTS streamlined the H1N1 vaccine delivery process by:

• Allowing online e-signed agreements for the 4,711 new providers
• Managing a rapid centralized vaccine allocation
• Ordering and dissemination of the H1N1 vaccine
• Creating a direct vaccine order file extract from Florida SHOTS daily for upload to VACMAN
• Allowing local control of vaccine allocation for rapid deployment of vaccine to areas with higher incidence of disease

Using Florida’s IIS, Florida SHOTS, for the H1N1 initiative proved successful as:

• More than 7 million doses of vaccine were allocated across the state.
• More than 5,000 ship-to sites registered to receive vaccine.
• More than 5 million doses were shipped throughout the state.
• Reports on the campaign status were available on a real-time basis, which facilitated leadership tracking of the campaign.
• For the first time in Florida, a centralized statewide system was used for efficient vaccine allocation and ordering in response to a pandemic threat.