Interoperability Course Series

The concept of interoperability can seem very technical, but once you start to compare interoperability with communication, you will see that many of the difficulties and paradoxes we face in human communication are also encountered in computer system interoperability.

The Interoperability Course Series is designed to provide a common base-knowledge of interoperability for immunization public health professionals and technologists working in the immunization space. Syllabus, registration, and other information for available courses can be found in the links below.

1. Connecting Systems

Objective
The materials from the Connecting Systems course are designed to provide a fundamental understanding of digital information encoding for both transmission and storage. Understanding how computers communicate through this module will be an important foundation for learning how immunization messages are transmitted and the importance of securing these systems.

What you will learn

As a result of reviewing these materials, participants will learn:

• That all digital data is essentially a series of numbers that work together to represent letters, words, colors, sounds, pictures, and even software applications
• How digital data is represented in hex form and then grouped into bytes, kilobytes, and megabytes
• How to convert data from binary to hex to American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text and back again

 2. HL7 v2.5.1 Immunization Update (VXU) Messages

Objective

This on-demand course offers an in-depth review of HL7 v2.5.1 VXU messages used for updating and querying immunization information systems (IIS). Participants will learn about use cases, key segments and fields, and VXU structure, and they will see examples of VXU messaging. The content covers message conformance with HL7 Implementation Guide standards and considerations for jurisdictional processing.

What you will learn

As a result of completing this self-paced course, participants will be able to: 

• Describe use cases for VXU messages
• Identify segments used in VXU messages
• Describe the type of information conveyed in each segment of a VXU message
• Identify key fields within VXU messages and how IIS use the information conveyed
• Identify how the structure and contents of a VXU vary based on the use case and information being conveyed, in alignment with National IG specifications
• Relate National IG VXU specifications to jurisdictional IIS VXU processing

Key information

• Syllabus–provides course outline
• Estimated time to complete –up to 4 hours
• Core IIS competencies –interoperability and data quality
• Registration –register here to receive access to course materials in RISE, AIRA’s learning management system (LMS)

3. HL7 v2.5.1 Acknowledgment (ACK) Messages

Objective

This course is designed to strengthen the IIS community’s knowledge and skills in using ACK messages to facilitate immunization data interoperability across systems, in alignment with the National IG. The IIS core competencies* most closely associated with this course are interoperability and data quality.

What you will learn

As a result of completing this self-paced course, participants will be able to: 

• Describe the interaction between a VXU message and an ACK message
• Describe the information an ACK can convey
• Identify key segments and fields in ACK messages
• Interpret what an ACK message is conveying about the processing of a VXU message
• Identify follow-up actions based on the content of an ACK message
• Identify strategies to optimize ACK messages to improve interoperability and IIS data quality

• Syllabus–provides course outline
• Estimated time to complete – up to 3 hours
• Core IIS competencies –interoperability and data quality
• Registration –register here to receive access to course materials in RISE, AIRA’s learning management system (LMS)

 4. Provider Organization Onboarding for IIS Course

Objective

The course is designed to build and enhance your capacity to conduct provider onboarding in alignment with best practices and recommendations. It aims to promote greater consistency in onboarding processes and documentation across jurisdictions, in alignment with the Onboarding Consensus-Based Recommendations and Data Validation Guide for the IIS Onboarding Process. 

The course is best suited for jurisdictional IIS staff responsible for provider onboarding activities (i.e., establishing an electronic interface between a provider’s EHR system and an IIS). IIS managers and other immunization program staff may also find the content valuable for gaining a better understanding of onboarding-related IIS activities.

For those new to onboarding or interoperability, AIRA’s IIS Orientation to Provider Onboarding: Resources Checklist provides a helpful starting point, featuring an annotated list of key resources.

Key information

• Syllabus–provides course summary
• Estimated time to complete –up to 2 hours
• Registration –register here to receive access to course materials in Rise, AIRA’s learning management system (LMS)

*Important Note: The six-session course is in the process of being converted from a live format to an on-demand format. As of now, only Sessions one and two have been fully converted to the on-demand format. The remaining four sessions (sessions three through six) are still being developed and will be released in the near future. In the interim, learners may request live course recordings from AIRA by contacting us directly at [email protected]. We appreciate your understanding and will keep you updated as the remaining on-demand sessions become available.

For more information, please email [email protected].

*See Public Health Informatics Institute (IIS) Core Competency Model at https://phii.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/IIS-Core-Competency-Model.pdf.