Standards and Requirements

“Meaningful Use” Submissions of Immunization Data
– Standards and Requirements

Content Exchange: Meaningful use requires an HL7 2.3.1 or HL7 2.5.1 message.

Vocabulary: The CDC's National Center of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) maintains the HL7 external code set CVX http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/iis/stds/cvx.htm.

Implementation: Meaningful use requires facilities to submit at least one test transmission, and to follow-up with actual transmissions if the test is successful. After messaging partners have had an opportunity to review the implementation guide, VDH business and technical contacts will work with them on any questions regarding message data elements or message construct. When the EHR system is able to produce a message based on the implementation guide, a test message should be sent to the VDH technical contact for construct validation. After any issues found during construct validation have been addressed, the VDH technical contact will work with the facility to establish a message feed into VDH’s acceptance testing environment. The facility should continue to send a live feed while VDH conducts content validation. After the feed is established and validation is completed, VDH will notify the facility that the message has been tested and accepted and it will be moved into production. The facility is expected to maintain the transmissions to meet the meaningful use objective and to comply with state reporting requirements and usual practice.

Message transport: VDH’s preferred method for secure message transport is HTTPS. Message files must be encrypted using a VDH-provided digital certificate and sent directly to the VIIS receiver or to the VDH proxy server where they will be authenticated using the digital certificate. Using SSL, VDH will route the transmission through our firewall to a messaging server where it will be decrypted, routed and processed. If desired, the VDH technical contact will work with partners on an acknowledgment message to be returned from VDH. Although HTTPS is preferred, VDH will consider requests for alternative transmission methods.