Immunization Registry Reporting

Public Health Measures for Massachusetts Eligible Professionals

The final rule for Stage 1 Meaningful Use requires eligible professionals and hospitals to choose at least one public health objective from the set of menu objectives, which includes submitting one of the following:

  • Immunization Information
  • Syndromic Surveillance
  • Reportable Electronic Laboratory Results (Eligible Hospitals only)

Recently the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) successfully launched its Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS), a statewide immunization registry, which is ready to receive patient immunization data both through a web interface and via HL7 data exchange. Massachusetts does not currently accept syndromic surveillance data, so as an eligible professional, immunization reporting is your only means to meet your public health objective with the exception of Boston‐based providers who can submit syndromic surveillance data to the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). Please contact the BPHC at 617.534.5395 for more information.

Immunization Data Submission

The Meaningful Use Requirement for Public Health specifies that providers must be able to submit immunization data electronically in a standardized format. Certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems should be able to create the immunization message containing CVX codes in one of two formats (HL7 2.3.1 or HL7 2.5.1). The MIIS accepts only the HL7 2.5.1 format. Contact your EHR vendor if you are uncertain which message version your system generates.

Sending a Valid Test Message

The Stage 1 Meaningful Use Requirement specifies that you need to send a valid test message to the immunization registry. Because you are using certified EHR technology, your EHR system should be able to generate a valid test message in either HL7 2.3.1 or HL7 2.5.1; however, the MIIS only accepts HL7 2.5.1 (please see MDPH’s HL7 Transfer specifications). You will need to contact the MIIS Help Desk (MIISHelpDesk@state.ma.us, 617.983.4335) for the routing information, once you are ready to send the test message. Your Implementation and Optimization or EHR vendor will be able to provide instructions that are specific to your installation.

What you Need for Attestation of Meaningful Use

Upon receipt of a valid test message, MDPH will send you an automated generic technical acknowledgment. You will need to save this message for verification purposes. Please see the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Registration and Attestation pages for more information about attesting to Stage 1 Meaningful Use.

Once the test message sent to MDPH is successful, your organization can continue to work with MDPH on your HL7 production readiness. Once your organization is ready for HL7 production, you will be put in a queue. MDPH will prioritize the order in which they will work with providers to move them into the production environment, but that will not prevent you from attesting to Stage 1 Meaningful Use, as the message only needs to be sent. When your organization is prioritized and you have support from the leadership and/or administrators to integrate the MIIS at an organization-wide level, MDPH will work with you to validate all message content, so the data can be submitted properly to their live system.

If your certified EHR system only generates a 2.3.1 message

If your EHR system only generates an HL7 2.3.1 message, you will be granted an exclusion for Stage 1 Meaningful Use for this requirement. Please see the CMS Registration and Attestation System page for more information.

If your Valid Test Message Fails

If your valid test message fails, you will receive an automated generic technical acknowledgment from MDPH reflecting that your message failed. If you receive this message from MDPH, you will still have met your immunization registry Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirement for the attestation year. Please see the CMS Registration and Attestation System page for more information.

Implementation Steps

  1. If your EHR system generates an HL7 2.5.1 message, work with your Implementation and Optimization Organization or EHR vendor to construct the message. Technical specifications for vendors that describe the required message format and content can be found here.
  2. If your certified EHR system only generates an HL7 2.3.1 message, you will be granted an exclusion for this Stage 1 Meaningful Use requirement. Please see the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Registration and Attestation pages for more information.
  3. Once you are ready to test, in other words your system is set up according to the technical specifications found above, and you have immunization data to submit, please contact the MIIS Help Desk to receive additional technical documentation and information to establish the interface with MDPH (see Contact Information below).
  4. The MDPH is holding weekly HL7 Technical Support calls. For more information, please contact the MIIS Help Desk (see Contact Information below).

Contact Information at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health

For questions about sending an HL7 2.5.1 test message to the MIIS, please contact the MIIS Help Desk:

MIISHelpDesk@state.ma.us
Phone: 617-983-4335
Fax: 617-983-4301