Utilizing an electronic health record system to improve vaccination coverage in children.

BACKGROUND: Electronic Health Records (EHR) are widely believed to improve quality of care and effectiveness of service delivery. Use of EHR to improve childhood immunization rates has not been fully explored in an ambulatory setting. OBJECTIVE: To describe a pediatric practice's use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in improving childhood immunization. METHODS: A multi-faceted EHR-based quality improvement initiative used electronic templates with pre-loaded immunization records- automatic diagnosis coding- and EHR alerts of missing or delayed vaccinations. An electronic patient tracking system was created to identify patients with missing vaccines. Barcode scanning technology was introduced to aid speed and accuracy of documentation of administered vaccines. Electronic reporting to a local health department immunization registry facilitated ordering of vaccines. RESULTS: Immunization completion rates captured in monthly patient reports showed a rise in the percentage of children receiving the recommended s