Monthly Update

November 2019 in Review

www.immregistries.org

In This Issue…

1. Join AIRA at HIMSS20
2. AIRA Welcomes New Business Operations Manager
3. MACAW In-Person Meeting
4. 14th National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships (NCICP)
   
5. AIRA Representatives Attend Second Annual Security and Identity Meeting Held by NAPHSIS
6. Recent Information Requests Added to the AIRA Repository
7. Steering Committee Updates: November Recap

Check Out the AIRA Events Calendar for Upcoming…

• Don't-Miss Deadlines
• AIRA Events
• Webinars
• Committee Meetings
• AIRA Board of Directors Meetings
• Partner Events

Join AIRA at HIMSS20

Did you know, the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) is a collaborating partner with Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) for its Global Health Conference and Exhibition? HIMSS20 brings you the world-class education, cutting-edge products and solutions, and unique networking opportunities you need to solve your biggest health information and technology challenges—all at one time, all in one place. HIMSS20 will be held March 9-13, 2020, in Orlando, Florida.  More information about the conference can be found here.

Join AIRA at HIMSS20 and save on registration! To receive the member discount, go to the conference website and select “Register Now”.  Select AIRA’s name from the “Conference Collaborating Organizations” drop down in the registration process and enter the code H20COLLAB.

Save the date! AIRA will also be hosting an information session during HIMSS20 on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, between 11am and 1pm.  More information will be available soon.

AIRA Welcomes New Business Operations Manager

Hailey Malepeai joined AIRA in October of 2019 as the Business Operations Manager. Prior to this role, Hailey was the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization that concentrated on breast cancer research and survivorship. Hailey’s background includes operations management, board development, event coordination, strategic planning, as well as fundraising and grant writing. Please join us in welcoming her to the AIRA team! 

The photo featured to the left was taken shortly after Hailey climbed to the summit of the Grand Teton in July 2019. 

MACAW In-Person Meeting

AIRA and the members of MACAW (the Measurement for Assessment and Certification Advisory Workgroup) met in person November 19-21 in Chicago, Illinois. The goals of this meeting were many, and included:

• Achieve a shared understanding of the current status and future direction of Measurement and Improvement (M&I)
• Develop consensus on incoming/ongoing data measures and tests
• Develop consensus on CDS validation basic and complete levels and thresholds
• Gather input and make decisions, where possible, on operational (technical assistance, communications, etc.) and administrative (charter, membership, etc.) functions related to M&I

Through multiple sessions of large and small group discussions and using existing resources such as the Functional Standards v4.0 and AIRA Data Quality Guides, the group was able to develop consensus on these goals, including next steps for each topic. Thanks to all the workgroup members who invested valuable time to make this Measurement and Improvement effort even more successful.

From left to right (front row): Aaron Bieringer (MN), LaTreace Harris (CDC), Shannon Coleman (STC), Wendy Nye (MI), Kim Rutland (AIRA), Amy Metroka (NYC), Mary Beth Kurilo (AIRA), Jillian Doss-Walker (IHS), Kristi Siahaya (AIRA), From left to right (back row): Kevin Snow (Envision), Roger Aikin (AZ), John Robison (Philadelphia), Josh Hull (MI), Dave McCormick (IN), Eric Larson (AIRA), Eric Schuh (DXC), and Jim Pearsol (AIRA contractor)

14th National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships (NCICP)

AIRA staff attended the 14th National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships (NCICP), held November 13-15 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference was convened by the Hawaii Immunization Coalition and the Hawaii Public Health Institute and brought immunization partners together to facilitate the sharing of successful strategies to strengthen efforts to improve immunizations and public health issues. Multiple presentations highlighted the use of immunization information systems (IIS) to identify pockets-of-need, send vaccine reminders, and help with overall efforts to improve immunization rates. One presentation highlighted monitoring and evaluation activities that have been instrumental in improving data quality in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). The presentation described how a complete and accurate IIS increases the capacity of immunization programs to target specific populations for interventions and enables them to plan more effective program activities.

Keynote speakers at the three-day conference included:

• Nancy Messonnier, MD, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Amy Pisani, MS, executive director, Vaccinate Your Family
• Joel Amundson, MD, founding president, Boost Oregon
• Nadine Gartner, JD, founding executive director, Boost Oregon

Opening keynote speaker, Dr. Nancy Messonnier described the ways in which the 2018–19 measles outbreak demonstrates how susceptible communities can be despite high, nationwide coverage. She detailed how the CDC’s Vaccinate Confidently strategy seeks to strengthen vaccine confidence by leveraging diverse data sources to find and protect communities at risk, build and foster a culture of immunization in healthcare practices, and focus on efforts to contain misinformation and educate key stakeholders. Amy Pisani shared about how the U.S. is closer to a culture of immunization than anyone realizes. She examined the current state of immunization affairs and explained how “everyday advocacy” can be used to ensure children, adolescents, and adults understand the benefit of vaccinations.

Closing keynotes speakers Dr. Joel Amundson and Nadine Gartner, described why they founded Boost Oregon, a parent-led, independent organization that educates parents about vaccines. Believing that every parent wants to make the best health decisions for their children, Boost Oregon focuses on the common ground between providers and parents and employs empathy and compassion to counter vaccine hesitancy. Boost Oregon equips providers with tools (such as printed and online resources, staff trainings, and hosted parent nights) to replicate the success of their model with helping vaccine-hesitant parents make the decision to vaccinate. 

AIRA Representatives Attend Second Annual Security and Identity Meeting Held by NAPHSIS

On November 4 and 5, NAPHSIS (National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems) held its second annual two-day meeting to explore topics related to security and identity in Washington, D.C. NAPHSIS is the member association that supports Vital Records and Vital Events across 57 jurisdictions. AIRA staff Rebecca Coyle and Mary Beth Kurilo attended the meeting to bring back lessons learned from the Vital Records and Health Statistics arena that may be applicable to the IIS community.

Similar to last year, the conference brought together over 150 professionals, including representatives from state and local vital records offices; personnel from federal partners, including the Department of State/Passport, Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Transportation Security Administration, and Social Security Administration; partners from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA); and representatives from the Document Security Alliance, IDEMIA, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and North American Security Products Organization (NASPO) International, among many other partner organizations.

Key discussions included explorations of establishing identity in legal and public health contexts, implementation of Real ID, the shift to digital processes for Passports and DMV, and legal aspects of vital records data sharing.

For more information on the meeting, contact Mary Beth Kurilo. For more on NAPHSIS, visit: https://www.naphsis.org/.    

Recent Information Requests Added to the AIRA Repository

The recent Information Requests on the following topics can be found by using the “Information Requests” filter in the AIRA repository, specifically:

• Data sharing
• IIS-WIC program relationship
• Risk assessment surveys
• Updating and managing addresses 

Information Requests are viewable only by individual members and individuals affiliated with member and supporting member organizations. Just log in to view these valuable resources! If you have any questions, please email membership coordinator Amanda Branham.

Steering Committee Updates: November Recap