What is CORHIO?
The Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to facilitate the electronic exchange of health information to improve the health and health care for all Coloradans. As a state-level organization, CORHIO serves as a collaborative partnership, engaging the public and private sectors as well as a broad range of individuals, organizations, agencies, and policy makers to develop and support a statewide health information exchange (HIE) network.
What is CIIS?
The Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) is the electronic state wide system for reporting immunization information. It tracks children for vaccines, assists providers in recall efforts, and advises what the appropriate vaccines are for any child in the registry. CIIS allows clinicians to rapidly access important immunization health information when and where it is needed leading to improved vaccine rates and reduced vaccine-preventable disease.
Currently, CIIS receives and distributes information without adhering to messaging standards recommended by the American Health Information Community. Standardizing the transmission of this information will simplify its use making it more efficient and user-friendly. This work is being supported by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant.
CIIS will utilize the interface between CORHIO and various data sharing partners. Data will flow to clinicians either through a web browser or to their electronic medical record (EMR). The CDC grant allows CIIS and CORHIO to test the standard message protocol (HL7) to share immunization information.
What are we building?
The stakeholders will facilitate new standardized messaging services to transmit immunization information. The $330,000 grant has been awarded to CDPHE on behalf of the state. Specific goals for this grant include:
1. Gain critical buy-in and understanding among the stakeholders
2. Design, develop and implement a robust and secure messaging web service between health care partners, public health and CIIS through CORHIO that adheres to current standards regarding Public Health Information Network, HL7 and other emerging national standards
3. Deploy the exchange service to several community health center sites
4. Monitor the immunization status of individuals using this CORHIO mediated CIIS service.
This one year grant will allow CORHIO and CIIS to demonstrate the value of using standard message protocols. It will use CORHIO’s standard interoperability interface to demonstrate efficient interoperability between EMR systems and CIIS through CORHIO’s standard interface.
Who are the stakeholders involved?
CORHIO
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Colorado Community Health Network
Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Colorado Immunization Information System
Denver Health & Hospital Authority
State of Colorado
The Children’s Hospital
Click for a printable version of this Immunization Registry overview
