8 minute read

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Register for the AIRA 2025 National Meeting

Don’t wait! Register before Sunday, March 2, and receive the early bird registration rate. This year, the AIRA 2025 National Meeting kicks off a day early on Monday with a dynamic opening plenary, educational workshops, and a lively networking reception to set the tone for the week. The AIRA room block is filling up quickly so be sure to reserve your hotel room soon!

Join us to explore the latest in IIS, reconnect with colleagues, and soak in Spokane’s scenic views and vibrant city charm.

We can’t wait to see you there! 🌲

Please join us on February 20, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for a dynamic discussion about determining the total number of non-VFC providers in a jurisdiction. The IIS Data Analyst Collaborative (IDAC) is an opportunity for IIS data analysts to share, discuss, and learn from their peers. During these one-hour meetings held quarterly, participants have a chance to ask questions, discuss their experiences, share their successes, and more!

Please register to attend. This event will be capped at 50 participants.

Join us on Monday, February 24, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET for an engaging Discovery Session where we will explore how California is leveraging immunization data to estimate influenza vaccine effectiveness. This exciting session, led by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), will dive into the findings from its first year using mandatory reporting for influenza testing and vaccinations to assess vaccine effectiveness for the 2023–2024 flu season.

This presentation will cover:

• Insights from California’s data on flu vaccine effectiveness
• Methodology and tools behind linking flu test results with vaccination data
• Challenges and lessons learned along the way

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from California’s experience and join in a lively Q&A discussion following the presentation!

Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email with calendar links for easy access. If you can’t make it, a recording will be available in the AIRA Repository. We hope you’ll join us on February 24!

AIRA, en colaboración con SYADEM, se complace en invitarte a la primera reunión de la Iniciativa del Codificación Internacional de Vacunas (IVC) completamente en español. Este evento inaugural en línea, de una hora de duración, está diseñado para profesionales que trabajan con codificación de vacunas o están interesados en ellos. Contará con la participación de ponentes de Estados Unidos y redes asociadas de América Latina, incluyendo el Centro de Monitoreo de Uppsala, creando una plataforma colaborativa para compartir conocimientos y establecer conexiones.

¿Qué puedes esperar?

• Introducción a los conjuntos de códigos de vacunas, incluyendo SNOMED e ICD-11
• Espacio de diálogo para compartir experiencias y enfoques en la codificación de vacunas a nivel internacional

Detalles del evento:

• Fecha: Miércoles, 12 de marzo
• Hora: 9 a.m. (ET) / 8 a.m. (Ciudad de México y Centroamérica) / 11 a.m. (Buenos Aires)
• Lugar: Virtual (Zoom)
• Idioma: Español

¡Reserva tu lugar hoy y únete a nosotros para dar forma al futuro de este esfuerzo internacional!

You Are Invited to the First Meeting of the International Vaccine Coding (IVC) Initiative Completely in Spanish!

AIRA, in collaboration with SYADEM, is pleased to invite you to the first meeting of the International Vaccine Coding (IVC) Initiative completely in Spanish. This inaugural hour-long online event is designed for professionals working with or interested in vaccine coding. It will feature speakers from the United States and associated networks in Latin America, including the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, creating a collaborative platform to share knowledge and establish connections.

What can you expect?

• Introduction to vaccine code sets, including SNOMED and ICD-11
• Space for dialogue to share experiences and approaches in vaccine coding at an international level

Event details:

• Date: Wednesday, March 12
• Time: 9 a.m. (ET) / 8 a.m. (Mexico City and Central America) / 11 a.m. (Buenos Aires)
• Location: Virtual (Zoom)
• Language: Spanish

Reserve your spot today and join us in shaping the future of this international effort!

AIRA members can submit and review information requests—a circulation of questions to and answers from the community. To submit an information request to the IIS community, email Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. with “Information Request” in the subject line. Anyone who provides a meaningful response to an information request will be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card and will be recognized during the AIRA 2025 National Meeting awards ceremony. 

Open Information Requests

• AIRA and PHII are seeking information about any materials or key messages you share with your provider sites about the importance of data quality, including report cards or feedback reports on their submission quality. Thank you in advance for any materials or messages you can share with us!
  
  If you are willing to share, please reach out to Mary Beth Kurilo at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. and copy Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. by February 12, and don’t forget to include your contact information for follow-up.
  
  
• The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is seeking information regarding IIS handling of polio unspecified (CVX 89). As an unspecified CVX code, CVX 89 may represent any formulation of the polio vaccine. However, receipt of certain formulations (OPV monovalent, bivalent, and unspecified) may leave a patient under-vaccinated for polio. Among the OPV formulations, only the OPV trivalent formulation administered on or after 4/1/2016 is considered valid for completion of U.S. polio recommendations. Given this, Washington’s DOH would like answers to the following questions:
  
  How does your IIS treat CVX 89 in relation to the completion of U.S. polio recommendations? In other words, does your IIS consider a CVX 89 as counting toward the completion of the polio series, or does your IIS consider it invalid toward the completion of the polio series?
  
  Does your IIS follow up on submitted reports of CVX 89 and map the CVX 89 to a more specific polio CVX code? If so, what information is used to determine what CVX code to map to?
  
  Does your IIS make different decisions if you know CVX 89 was administered outside of the United States versus inside?
  
  If you are willing to share, please reach out to Katherine Graff at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. and copy Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. by February 19. Don’t forget to include your contact information for follow-up.

Information requests are viewable only by individual members and individuals affiliated with member and partner organizations. Recent information requests can be found by using the “Information Requests” filter in the AIRA Repository. Just log in to view these valuable resources! If you have any questions, please email Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..

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The Board Spotlight provides both AIRA staff and the IIS community the opportunity to learn a little about each AIRA Board member. This month, we’re getting to know Steve Murchie, a valued member of the AIRA Board and former CEO of Envision Technology Partners. Steve plays an active role on both the Finance and Executive Committees and currently serves as Treasurer. Keep an eye out for next month’s feature!

What was your favorite job in high school or college? Or, on the flip side, was there one that you were not fond of?

As soon as I got my driver’s license, I became the all-purpose gopher in a small-town pharmacy, running deliveries, stocking shelves, and cleaning everything. The best perk was that the store had some of the best photographic supplies in town, and I loved helping customers with their projects.

If you had a time machine, would you choose to travel to the past or to the future? Why?

I would choose the future. While the past would be fascinating to experience in real life, I also appreciate that it’s probably not nearly as pleasant as we imagine.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Pretty much anything with dark chocolate.

If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner, who would it be?

Albert Einstein has always been at the top of my fictional dinner-party list.

If you had the option to live to 90 and retain either the mind or the body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you choose?

I’d take the 30 year-old body. We never know which parts are going to fail when, but youth has more resilience.

If you could instantly become an expert in any skill, what would it be?

Speak any language fluently. I’ve studied several over the years and really enjoy the process, but it’s long and dissipates quickly.

What’s one thing on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?

Climb the Matterhorn.

What’s one key takeaway you’ve gained from participating in an AIRA workgroup or committee?

There’s an incredible amount of expertise in our community and a huge willingness to contribute to the greater good.

What’s your favorite part of being on the AIRA Board? For those who are newer to the board, what has been a highlight or something that has stood out to you so far?

Working on issues that help the whole IIS community. Being on the board also exposes one to issues that may not affect one’s own jurisdiction(s).

In July 2023, AIRA, CDC, and the Measurement for Assessment and Certification Advisory Workgroup (MACAW) introduced two new measurable concepts to Testing and Discovery (T&D) as part of the Measurement and Improvement (M&I) initiative, Patient Matching–HL7 Submission and Patient Matching–HL7 Query. These measurable concepts focus on assessing the ability of an IIS to accurately match and consolidate patient records with variations in key fields such as name and address, enhancing health data interoperability.

Community Engagement and Finalized Measures

Building on outcomes from the first stage of the M&I initiative, Testing and Discovery, MACAW proposed over 200 measures and tests in fall 2024 for community input as a step toward advancing these areas to the second stage of the M&I initiative, Assessment. Through a robust feedback process, including a three-week comment period (November 4–26) and a community town hall (November 18), AIRA gathered 37 comments from seven groups. After thorough review and deliberation, MACAW finalized the measures and tests in early January 2025.

The finalized measures and tests are now published and available on AIRA’s Repository.

Updated Participation Settings in AART

AIRA has updated participation and sharing settings in AART for all IIS based on their settings for Testing and Discovery. IIS programs are encouraged to review and confirm their participation settings in AART to fully engage with these content areas in the new stage of Assessment.

Initial Assessment Reports: Coming Soon

Initial Assessment reports for participating IIS programs will be available in AART by March 31. These reports will establish a community baseline and provide valuable insights to inform ongoing improvements.

As AIRA and MACAW move forward, your feedback on the methodology, test case scenarios and expectations, and testing results remains critical. This input helps shape the future of the M&I initiative and ensures continuous improvement.

For questions or assistance or to provide feedback, please contact us at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. or for technical assistance, submit a request via the TA Request Form.

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