Effects of automated immunization registry reporting via an electronic health record deployed in community practice settings.

BACKGROUND: Among the expected benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) is increased reporting of public health information- such as immunization status. State and local immunization registries aid control of vaccine-preventable diseases and help offset fragmentation in healthcare- but reporting is often slow and incomplete. The Primary Care Information Project (PCIP)- an initiative of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene- has implemented EHRs with immunization reporting capability in community settings. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To evaluate the effect of automated reporting via an EHR on use and efficiency of reporting to the NY Citywide Immunization Registry- we conducted a secondary analysis of 1.7 million de-identified records submitted between January 2007 and June 2011 by 217 primary care practices enrolled in PCIP- pre and post launch of automated reporting via an EHR. We examined differences in records submitted per day- lag time- and documentation of eligibility for subsidized vaccines. R