There are a number of reasons why a healthcare facility would need to track the vaccination status of its employees. Tracking that data, however – and meeting the state submission requirements surrounding it – can be a complex task. For many, the solution is Immunization Information System (IIS) integration, which brings efficiency to the process and ensures that information is shared with the state accurately and on time.
What is an IIS (Immunization Information System)?
IIS stands for Immunization Information System, though you may also see the tool referenced as an Immunization Registry or Vaccine Information Management System.
At the healthcare organization and population level, IIS serves as a secure and confidential computerized database for storing immunization records and guiding health-driven decision-making. States, counties, and individual points of care all rely on IIS to keep track of who’s vaccinated and who’s not against certain illnesses, as well as to ensure that everyone receives the appropriate vaccinations at the appropriate time.
Think of IIS as the ultimate vaccination record aggregation tool, consolidating records across populations so that everyone has access to crucial vaccine-related information. IIS automation tools help keep the data flowing. They also help safeguard that data and keep it confidential, with built-in features designed around CDC IIS notification and privacy guidelines.
For the purposes of our own clients, IIS integrated with Immuware vaccine tracking tools allows for the automatic dispersal of employee vaccination data to the state. This guarantees compliance without manual oversight, all while providing helpful reminders to staff members about when it’s time to schedule an appointment for an updated vaccine or booster.
Why Healthcare Organizations Need an IIS Integration Tool
A lot goes into managing the operations of a healthcare organization, and that includes compliance with US vaccination employee policy requirements. To meet the larger goals of IIS programs and maintain public health, organizations must have the ability to integrate with the immunization registry. This allows them to identify populations at risk for vaccine-preventable illnesses and guide the appropriate targeting of state funds, resources, and interventions. By supplying the state with employee vaccination records, healthcare organizations help support these initiatives and the health of their communities.
Of course, knowing why IIS compliance is so essential is just as critical as having integrations in place. That’s because the big benefit of this type of data-sharing tool is in its ability to meet the larger goals of IIS programs – something that all healthcare organizations are obligated toward as part of their role in maintaining public health.
At its core, IIS is about identifying populations at risk for vaccine-preventable illnesses and guiding the appropriate targeting of state funds, resources, and interventions. By supplying the state with employee vaccination records, healthcare organizations help support these initiatives and the health of their communities. As such, meeting compliance requirements around state immunization records is a must and something that all relevant organizations must consider as they make a plan for how they’re going to track and submit data.
Healthcare staff vaccination requirements vary by state, as does the frequency with which organizations must provide updates. Penalties for failing to meet guidelines on timeliness and/or accuracy of IIS data vary as well, though they may include steep fines and licensing disruptions. For these and other reasons, it’s important that organizations have tools and integrations in place for tracking vaccine data among staff and submitting that data to the state. The more those processes can be automated, the better off everybody is.
How Immuware Can Help
Immuware is an employee health system (EHS) that can help take the guesswork out of both tracking your employees’ vaccination data and submitting that data to the state. Utilizing our system’s IIS integration capabilities, you save time, money, and labor by automating IIS compliance at your organization, ensuring that you’re meeting state requirements around employee health and data submission – all without the need for regular manual inputs.
IIS compliance is a must on an individual and population health level. It’s also difficult to manage efficiently if you don’t have the right tools in place for the job. Immuware can help ease the process, eliminating the need for manual submissions of employee vaccination records to the state so you can focus on the other moving parts of managing your organization.
Contact us today to discover how Immuware can support your IIS efforts. We would happily provide you with a demo of our system, including a rundown of its integration capabilities.