Reps. Kuster (D-NH) and Bucshon (R-IN) Legislation Will Help Focus Public Health Dollars to Modernize These Key Vaccine Data Systems

Washington, D.C. (July 16, 2021): Yesterday the Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) issued the following statement on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health passing H.R. 550 as amended out of the subcommittee:

"The Health Innovation Alliance (HIA) supports this legislation to focus resources on key IIS systems that will improve and modernize our public health information infrastructure to be better prepared for the next pandemic or public health crisis. We applaud the leadership of Reps. Kuster (D-NH) and Buchson (R-IN) on this important legislation, and look forward to supporting efforts to gain final passage and ensuring the policies work seamlessly with the public health data infrastructure laws Congress has passed as part of the COVID response.

Specifically, HIA supports efforts to modernize immunization information systems that meet a number of criteria that include:

Allowing vaccine history information to be easily accessible for each person to know their own or their children's vaccine history. Unfortunately, that is not the case today in many states,

Efficient enrollment and training process for providers to connect and use IIS systems,

Important demographic data on who has received vaccinations,

Includes appropriate standard setting organizations to ensure pharmacies can transmit data accurately and seamlessly, and

Transmitting bi-directional data, in near-real time.

HIA recently sent a letter to the CDC outlining our public health data infrastructure priorities.