July SnapShots: ** Send in your Nominations for an IRC Award in the Categories of Grow, Connect, or Protect! **

The 2002 Immunization Registry Conference's External Planning Committee is soliciting award nominations in the following categories: Grow, Connect, and Protect. These awards are open to immunization registries in the public and private sectors and should reflect activities and achievement that have occurred within the timeframe of January 2001 to July 2002.

Award Submission Format: All award nominations should be submitted in a modified abstract format and should be limited to 500 words:

Preferred Award Categories: Grow, Connect, or Protect
Identifying Information: Immunization Registry Name and Location, Immunization Registry Point of Contact Name, Telephone/FAX Number, Email address
Background
Objective(s)
Method(s)
Results(s)
Conclusion(s)

Nominations should address the specific criteria associated with each award category (Grow, Connect, and Protect). All awards should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (Word 95/97, Version 6.0) or as a "text" file, and as an email attachment addressed to the 2002 Immunization Registry Conference Coordinator at ghl2@cdc.gov. All nominations must be received by 16 August 2002. If you need additional information or assistance please contact Gregory Lanman at (404) 639-8539 or at above email address.

For more information about the 2002 Immunization Registry Conference please visit the web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nip/registry/irc2002.htm. See description of awards and criteria below. (Source: Gregory P. Lanman, Systems Development Branch, DMD, NIP, CDC)

Grow Award
Sponsored by Every Child By Two and the American Immunization Registry Association

Grow Award Description: The Grow Award acknowledges an immunization registry that has demonstrated success in its efforts to serve the community through health care provider participation, innovative marketing, and/or partner recruitments strategies. Immunization registries will score the most points for results that are quantifiable, measurable, and demonstrate a benefit to children and the overall improvement to public health.

Grow Award Criteria: Demonstrated benefits of registry efforts include the degree to which the effort is innovative and benefits the community; the degree to which the effort addresses important and challenging aspects of health care provider participation, marketing, and/or health care provider recruitment; demonstrated impact on the community, children, and/or public health; and sustainability and reliability of the registry effort.

Connect Award
Sponsored by the Committee on Immunization Registry Standards and Electronic Transactions and the Center for Innovation in Health Information Systems

The Connect Award Description: There are three categories under which a registry can be nominated. These categories are listed in order of priority. A registry that qualifies under the first category may be scored higher than a registry that qualifies under the third category.

Category 1: The registry has succeeded in establishing automated connections with all of the following: another immunization registry; a private health care provider; and a government agency

Category 2: The registry has succeeded in establishing an HL7 connection that works in real time. "Real time" is defined in spirit as connection in which the transfer of data can be completed during an encounter with the patient. In practice, the transfer should be completed in 60 seconds or less.

Category 3: The registry that most closely follows the HL7 Implementation Guide. The guide is available at www.cdc.gov/nip/registry/hl7guide.pdf Note: HL7 refers to Implementation Guide for Immunization Data Transactions Using Version 2.3.1 of the Health Level 7 Standard Protocol.

The Connect Award Criteria: All nominees must be an immunization registry (state, regional, county, city, or private health care provider organization). The connections must be with external organizations that have their own systems. Connections between systems sponsored by a single immunization registry will not be considered for this award. The data exchange must involve immunization data. The data exchange must be electronic.

Protect Award
Sponsored by American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Protect Award Description: The award recognizes the application of immunization registries as tools to support immunization program decision-making in providing protection from vaccine preventable diseases and acknowledges the success in providing protection through data use and disease surveillance. This may include the identification of populations at high risk; populations that are under-vaccinated; requirements for school or day-care immunizations; contraindications; assisting in targeting interventions; evaluating the overall effectiveness of community coverage rates; assisting in vaccine recall and monitoring adverse events.

The Protect Award Criteria: Demonstrated benefits in this category include the degree to which the effort reflects a challenging approach that benefits the community; the degree to which the effort addresses important and challenging aspects of data use and disease surveillance; and the demonstrated, measurable or quantifiable impact on the community and/or public health.

July 2002 SnapShots Headlines