Check Out the AIRA Events Calendar for:
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Executive Director's Update
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Greetings and happy new year!
I hope your first month of 2022 has gone well. I think back on where we were one month in to 2020 and, though a lot has changed and happened over the last two years, some days it feels like we’re in the beginning of the pandemic all over again. I also think about how much we’ve learned and grown and how far we’ve come. It continues to make me proud to be part of this community that’s doing so much great work for our citizens every day. Thank you!
Ten states are now live with IIS-produced SMART Health Cards. Just a reminder that AIRA developed a one-page info sheet on SMART Health Cards that defines what SMART Health Cards are (and are not) and outlines how they can empower individuals to take control of their health information in a safe and secure way. For more information on SMART Health Cards, visit https://smarthealth.cards.
An article I wrote on how vaccine status information is accessed and shared was recently published on the Future of Personal Health website and in USA Today’s Personal Health supplement. Today, and always, it’s important for people to understand how to find and keep track of their vaccination records, who has access to them, and how their information is protected. This article was also an opportunity to educate people about the value of IIS and why they’re important to public health.
We’ve been updating you on the status of H.R.550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021. It was passed in the House of Representatives in November and was received in the Senate on December 1, where it was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
AIRA has been working with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), and other organizations on the Office of the National Coordinator’s IDEAS (Immunization Data Exchange, Advancement, and Sharing) project. The project is intended to improve and help increase data sharing capabilities between health information exchanges (HIEs) and IIS. ASTHO will be soliciting technical assistance (TA) requests from jurisdictions who are looking for financial assistance, TA, etc., to connect their IIS with HIEs.
I look forward to seeing what else this year has to bring and continuing to support all of you in the IIS community.
Rebecca Coyle, MSEd
Executive Director
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The AIRA 2022 National Meeting Call for Abstracts Is Open!
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Calling all presenters! The AIRA National Meeting is coming to you virtually on April 26 and 27, 2022! We can’t wait to showcase the great work you're doing, but first we need to hear from you! Submit an abstract for consideration by Friday, February 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Want to learn more before getting started? View the Call for Abstracts flyer and the Abstract Submission Overview. Check out the AIRA 2022 National Meeting website for more information about this year’s meeting, too. Stay tuned, as information about registration and the meeting agenda will be coming soon!
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Join AIRA at the HIMSS22 Global Health Conference & Exhibition on March 14–18, 2022, in Orlando, Florida, and digitally on March 14–17, 2022, and explore the power of innovation to reimagine health! HIMSS22 brings you education, products and solutions, and networking opportunities to solve health information and technology challenges. AIRA will be participating in many events and activities in Orlando. We are supporting an immunization-related demonstration topic in the Interoperability Showcase and hosting a networking event on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. We’d love to see you there!
Don’t forget that AIRA members receive a discount to attend. To receive the discount:
- Go to the conference website.
- Click on “Register.”
- Sign in or create an account.
- Select AIRA from the “Conference Collaborating Organizations” dropdown menu.
- Enter the code HIMSS22C.
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Consumer Access to IIS and SMART Health Card Solutions: A Landscape Analysis
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AIRA has been working with IIS managers on a landscape analysis to capture consumer access, SMART Health Card usage, and policy barriers preventing IIS from providing consumer access or SMART Health Cards. We appreciate the assistance that has been provided over the past few months.
The information below reflects data gathered as of February 1, 2022. We know this information is changing rapidly, and we need your help to make sure the data for your jurisdiction is up to date. Please find your jurisdiction in the following three maps and let us know if we need to update your information. Email Jody Dial to make updates.
Figure 1: Does the IIS offer Consumer Access to Immunization Records?
Definition of Consumer Access: A place residents can go to retrieve/view their (or their dependents’) past immunizations.
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Yes: DC, NYC
Planning: Philadelphia, CNMI, Puerto Rico
No: San Diego, American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, USVI
Figure 2: Does the Immunization Record Retrieved by Consumer Access follow SMART Health Card Framework?
Definition of SMART Health Card Framework: IIS-issued COVID-19 vaccination card as specified by the VCI standard. Currently, the VCI standard addresses only COVID-19.
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Yes: DC, American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau
Planning: Philadelphia, Puerto Rico
No: NYC, San Diego, USVI
Figure 3: Does the Jurisdiction Have Policy Barriers Preventing the IIS from Providing Consumer Access or SMART Health Cards?
Definition of Policy Barrier: Anything that prevents the IIS from issuing a SMART Health Card or providing consumer access.
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No: DC, NYC, Philadelphia, San Diego, American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Puerto Rico, USVI
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An Invitation to Anyone Interested in Power BI
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Are you a current Power BI user? Do you want to expand your Power BI skill set? Are you interested in learning Power BI to visualize and communicate your IIS data more effectively?
AIRA will convene the first Power BI User Group on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m. ET. This first meeting will include a workshop demonstration on Michigan’s Flu Vaccination Dashboard. Anyone interested in Power BI is encouraged to attend, and all experience levels are welcome!
The goals of this group are to:
- Create a space for jurisdictions to engage in peer-to-peer sharing
- Synergize Power BI efforts across jurisdictions
- Consolidate and disseminate Power BI resources
To receive the invitation for this and upcoming Power BI User Group meetings, contact Amber Buckland.
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Upcoming Data Visualization Training Opportunities
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This spring and summer, AIRA will provide two new training opportunities for individuals interested in Power BI and Tableau data visualization tools. We will offer Introduction to Power BI (for individuals interested in learning Power BI basics) and Intermediate Tableau training sessions (for individuals who have previously completed AIRA’s Introduction to Tableau course).
- What: Both trainings are free and fully customized using state immunization data! All examples, visualizations, and dashboards created will use data and terms you already understand.
- Who: Due to popularity, at this time, the trainings are being offered to AIRA members representing state/territorial IIS programs only.
- How: Details on how to register for the trainings will be sent soon. To ensure you receive the training information, contact Amber Buckland to sign up for the Power BI and Tableau mailing lists.
We look forward to seeing you and your colleagues at a future data visualization training!
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Coming Soon: AIRA's IIS Epi Shared Services
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AIRA is excited to share a new initiative coming in 2022: IIS Epi Shared Services! This initiative was formerly announced as the Epi Support Center and Epi/Data Analyst Work Group. Similar to AIRA’s Onboarding Shared Services, this new initiative will support the onboarding, training, and advancement of data analysis skills among IIS data analysts and epidemiologists. It will also serve as a network of peers for IIS jurisdictions to consult with, as needed. The format will include web-based meetings, peer-to-peer sharing, webinars from subject matter experts, small workgroups dedicated to creating community resources, and office hours with AIRA’s epidemiologist, Taylor Boomsma.
For this collaboration, an IIS data analyst is defined as any individual who extracts, analyzes, interprets, visualizes, or reports out IIS data. All IIS data analysts are invited to attend!
To be placed on a mailing list for future IIS Epi Shared Services announcements, contact Amber Buckland.
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New IZ Gateway Provider-Jurisdiction Agreement Webinars
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As shared in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention IIS Info Brief, the Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) has scheduled webinars to share information with IIS program staff and their legal teams about the IZ Gateway Multi-Jurisdictional Vaccine Provider and IIS Data Exchange Agreement. Each webinar will address key differences between this agreement and the Interjurisdictional Memorandum of Understanding and will have team members available to answer questions. One Continuing Legal Education credit is available for attending the webinar. Visit the NPHL Webinar site for more information and to register.
The webinar schedule is below. Please note that each webinar will cover the same content. The purpose of having multiple sessions is to allow maximum opportunity for people to attend.
- Wednesday, February 9 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, February 16 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET
- Friday, February 18 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET
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Measurement and Improvement Updates
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New AART user interface coming soon!
AIRA and the members of the Measurement for Assessment and Certification Advisory Workgroup (MACAW) are excited to announce the rollout of a new user interface (UI) for the Aggregate Analysis Reporting Tool (AART)! We have almost completed the first of many iterations in the redesign of AART. The modern interface is scheduled to be deployed in February 2022. As you log in and navigate AART, you’ll notice the main UI has a new look and feel that includes a more logical workflow, intuitive design, and seamless access to test cases and reports. AART’s existing URL will remain the same. To access the new UI, simply log in with your existing username and password as shown below.
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Within the dashboard view, whether you belong to one or multiple IIS, a dropdown menu is easily accessible to denote the jurisdiction you are viewing. Click the arrow, as seen in the image below, to display a list of available IIS which you can select to view testing results.
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Need AART access?
If you need to register or forgot your AART login credentials, you can create an account or update your password in AART.
Have questions, want to participate, or need help? AIRA’s technical assistance team is ready to help you understand your AART dashboard and results, prioritize work, and support your movement toward better alignment with standards. Don’t hesitate to contact us for technical assistance. We can quickly answer a question or dive deeper into topics, such as assisting you and your IIS technical development team with better understanding of issues and making plans to more fully align with standards. Fill out a Technical Assistance Request or contact Shalena Prude for more information.
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AIRA members can submit and review information requests—a circulation of questions to and answers from the community. Recent information requests on the topics below can be found by using the “Information Requests” filter in the AIRA repository.
- Records Correction Requests
- Data Governance/Data Exchange
- Student Vaccine Exemption Requests
We’ve noticed there have been fewer responses to Information Requests lately. Responses to Information Requests are a great way to give information and support to your colleagues. Please consider taking a few minutes to share information with your peers in the IIS community.
Information requests are viewable only by individual members and individuals affiliated with member and partner organizations. Just log in to view these valuable resources! If you have any questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Are you interested in working for AIRA or in the IIS community? Find current job openings at AIRA and other states/jurisdictions on the Employment Opportunities and Requests for Proposals page on the AIRA website.
- AIRA is hiring two Informatics Project Coordinators for the Health Informatics Division. One position will serve on the Immunization (IZ) Gateway/Onboarding Shared Services (OSS) Team, and a second will work on the Immunization Integration Program (IIP) Team. The people in these positions will assist in the execution of goals and strategies, as well as operationalize components of the IZ Gateway/OSS program and the IIP and support the coordination, implementation, and tracking of programmatic goals by documenting project activities and progress, coordinating virtual meetings, and providing administrative support. Please share this information with anyone who is interested and qualified. Send completed application packages, including an AIRA Job Application, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, February 7, 2022.
Opportunities for independent contractors
Sign up to get notifications of future contracting opportunities.
- There are no opportunities at this time.
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