HEALTHeLINK, the western New York health information exchange (HIE), has launched an automated immunization reporting web service for its participating providers. Buffalo’s Elmwood Health Center became the first practice to submit immunization data to the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) via this automated method.
New York State healthcare providers outside of New York City are required by law to report all immunizations administered to persons less than 19 years of age, along with the person’s immunization histories, to NYSIIS. Currently, providers or their designees must sign on to a separate system and manually enter individual immunizations or upload a file to the application. With this new automated web service, immunizations that are documented by clinicians in the patient’s electronic health record (EHR) are securely transported to NYSIIS without the clinician needing to leave their EHR workflow.
HEALTHeLINK’S immunization reporting web service also supports providers’ achievement of meaningful use Stage 1 and Stage 2 public health objectives. HEALTHeLINK and the New York State Department of Health are coordinating efforts with other interested New York regional health information organizations (RHIOs) to make this functionality available to providers across a broader geography.
“Immunization history is an essential component to pediatric care and this groundbreaking service helps ensure that this key information is available when and where needed,” Barbara Johnson, director of clinical services, Elmwood Health Center, said in a statement. “The automated service allows seamless transmission of immunization records to NYSIIS, making them immediately available to any provider giving care to a child. It also eliminates many steps in both the entry and retrieval process, both for our practice that administers the immunizations as well as other providers involved in a child’s care.”
