VaxTrack Immunization Registry Provider Management Database

Healthy People 2010 set a goal "to prevent disease, disability,and death from infectious diseases, including vaccine preventable diseases." To achieve the Healthy People 2010 objective, it is essential that the vast majority of public and private health care providers exchange data with their local immunization registries. Since California does not mandate that health care providers report immunization data to registries, registry staff must be proactive in seeking provider participation. In July 2000, Riverside County joined with San Bernardino County to form the VaxTrack Regional Immunization Registry (VaxTrack), one of nine regional registries serving California. San Bernardino had been actively enrolling providers since 1994, and Riverside staff sought to match San Bernardino's provider participation levels in the shortest amount of time possible. This led Riverside VaxTrack staf to develop the Provider Management Database (PMDB).

The initial goal of the PMDB development project was to: enable registry staff to collect, store, and easily retrieve large volumes of provider data; accelerate provider recruitment and enrollment by allowing for more organized, effcient outreach; improve provider retention by improving the quality and timeliness of follow-up; and allow registry management to quickly assemble meaningful data for program and staff evaluation.

Successful design and implementation of the PMDB resulted in dramatic improvements in provider participation. Enrollments were up by more than 460% in the first year and more that 600% in the first 18 months. The PMDB has also increased the effciency of VaxTrack Help Desk and program evaluation procedures. Although originally intended for use only by VaxTrack staff members, the PMDB has gained popularity among the registry community in California and across the nation. Since its debut in 2002, the PMDB has been distributed to all regional registries in California as well as registries in seventeen other states and one territory. It has also been adapted for use by other public health programs that engage in outreach activities. The PMDB saved countless hours of staff time when collecting data needed for program evaluation and progress reports.