Frequently Asked Questions

Public Consumers

Why are immunizations important?
How can an immunization registry help?
What does participating in the registry mean to me?
What information is necessary to participate in the registry?
Who can use the information in the immunization registry?
Who can use limited information in the immunization registry?

Physician/Provider

What are the cost savings?
What are the benefits to health care providers?
Why is a regional registry needed?
Who supports population-based immunization registries?
How is the regional registry funded?
What appropriate measures are in place to protect privacy and confidentiality?
What is needed to participate?
What are the next steps?

Immunizations will protect you or your child from getting diseases that can be prevented. We want everyone to be healthy.

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BARR will make it easy for your doctor or clinic to know which immunizations you or your child has received, even if shots were given by a different health care provider.

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• You don’t have to get copies of immunization records from previous doctors or clinics when you or your child sees a new health care provider.
• It will be easier to get your child’s current immunization record when you need it for child care, school or camp.
• Your doctor will be able to remind you when your or your child’s immunizations are due or overdue.

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To recognize each individual in the registry, the following information is needed:

• Identifying information such as: name, date of birth, address, phone number and parent/guardian when necessary.
• Your or your child’s immunization history, which includes all the immunizations you or your child has received and if there has ever been a serious reaction to a vaccine.

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There are only two groups of people who can see all of the information in the registry.

1. Doctor’s and other authorized health care providers.
2. Authorized representatives from the Public Health Department may use the information to remind you that shots are due and to monitor vaccine safety.

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Information in the registry may also be shared with your child’s school, childcare center, Cal-Works, WIC supplemental food clinic, or health care plan, and other persons or entities when disclosure is specifically authorized by law, if they ask for it. These places can use the information only for the reasons listed below:

• for schools and child care centers, to help you prove your child has had the vaccines required for admission,
• for WIC clinics & Cal-Works, to let you know if your child needs immunizations, and
• for health care plans, to help process insurance payments.

By law, the information cannot be shared with any other person or agency. All authorized representatives of these groups who can access registry information are required by law to keep it confidential and only use it for the reasons listed above.

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Several studies indicate that savings will clearly outweigh the cost of an immunization registry. For every dollar spent, two dollars will be saved, resulting in potential cost offsets in the Bay Area of nearly $6.5 million. A registry can result in cost savings or cost offsets through a number of areas including:

• Reducing the cost of pulling records manually for school or child care entry and changes in primary care provider.
• Reducing the cost of duplicative immunizations.
• Reducing the cost of pulling records for HEDIS.
• Reducing the cost of participating in the National Immunization Survey.
• Reducing no-show rates by the generation of reminders.
• Avoiding manual generation of immunization records.
• Decreasing the incidence of disease.
• Preventing vaccine wastage through better inventory management.
• Decreasing the incidence of adverse reactions from vaccines.
• Decreasing staff time by reducing the time needed to review medical records for the assessment and documentation of immunization status.

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Beyond the significant benefits directed toward immunized children, their families, and the communities in which they live, the existence of a comprehensive registry offers specific benefits to the providers of immunizations:

• Prints an accurate, official copy of a patient's immunization history.
• Consolidates immunizations from all providers into one record.
• Provides current recommendations and information on new vaccines, along with changes in vaccine schedules.
• Helps manage vaccine inventories.
• Produce reminders and recalls for immunizations due or overdue.
• Generates coverage reports for your practice quickly and easily.
• Helps monitor adverse reactions to vaccines.
• Reinforces medical home concept.

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Immunization schedules have become increasingly complex as patients move from area to area within the region and from provider to provider, and record low disease levels don’t serve as a reminder to vaccinate. At the same time, studies consistently show that both parents and providers overestimate coverage. The result of this combination of factors is incomplete records, ineffective reminder/recall systems, and the potential to over or under immunize.

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The recognition that immunization registries are critical in the maintenance of high immunization rates and lower disease levels is endorsed by a broad and growing range of health organizations including: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the Office of the United States Surgeon General, the American Public Health Association, the American Association of Health Plans, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the CDC’s National Immunization Program.

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The Bay Area Regional Registry is funded by the State of California – Department of Health Services. Additional support funds such as County General Funds and Proposition 10 have been secured by participating jurisdictions for the registry.

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BARR protects privacy and confidentiality through a variety of technological and policy safeguards. The regional registry also complies with existing state and federal laws and regulations, including HIPAA, as well as current CDC guidelines and policies.

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Participation in the regional registry requires a computer and internet access. BARR representatives assist with:

• Registry training.
Effective ways to introduce the registry to their patients.
• Ongoing data quality assurance.
• Privacy policy and procedure monitoring.

The time required to enter the data following immunizations is readily offset when compared to the time needed to manually maintain patient immunization records.

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For more information on participating in the Bay Area Regional Immunization Registry, please contact the BARR Help Desk at 1-800-578-7889 or send an email to barrhelpdesk@hhs.co.scl.ca.us

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Please visit the Statewide Immunization Information System (SIIS) website for additional Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Providers.