Vaccines have completely changed how we practice medicine. Pediatricians will be the first to tell you their tremendous impact on patient care. However most folks who don't practice pediatrics for a living don't realize that the delivery of appropriate immunizations to our patients every day is a daunting task! The addition of new vaccines, combination vaccines, shortages, distribution variability, VFC vs private stock discrepancies, inadequate payment for vaccines and their administration...I could write a book! The problem gets more complex every day, and I can't imagine it will get easier any time in the future.

Here's where I am grateful that I have an EHR that is committed to pediatrics. Probably the biggest reason I purchased Office Practicum 6 years ago, is their vaccine module and commitment to updates. If you have the new release, you will notice that the logic for incorporating PCV-13 is already in place. Patients who are between the ages of 14-59 months who completed the Pneumococcal series with PCV-7 will have a "Pneumococal #4 due" indication on their chart. Office Practicum is already working on a release to deal with the current FDA temporary suspension of Rotarix. Combination vaccines are accounted for in their vaccine logic engine, so when I get a new patient whose prior doctor used a different schedule/combination of vaccines than I currently do, I don't have to stop and think about all the implications.

In the past few months, I have noticed quite a few older patients who seemingly all of a sudden indicate they are "due" for a polio vaccine. This happened when OP incorporated the ACIP guideline that all children should receive one IPV on/after their fourth birthday. As it turns out, some of my older patients had indeed had 4 polio vaccines, but all at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months. With the new recommendations, the logic was quickly embedded into OP and now those patients are easy to identify. Doing HIB recall after the shortage ended, was a breeze with the vaccine patient recall mechanism.

Recently there was a post on the COCIT (Council on Clinical Information Technology) listserv about how practices handle vaccine inventory. I had to say to myself, "Wow, I don't even ever think about that. It's all integrated." Same with my bi-directional interface with the PA State Immunization Information System. Recently, there have been more and more states who are implementing bi-directional interfaces with their IIS. If you are not currently bi-directional, find out what is going on in your state. OP is committed to supporting us in these efforts. And for those of you who didn't know, the #1 resolution at the AAP's ALF (Annual Leadership Forum) was to develop AAP support/technology to integrate immunization registries between states.

There's always a lot going on with vaccines. Office Practicum is committed to helping us with the ever-changing landscape.

Hi to all my pediatrician colleagues who are EHR users, or EHR seekers, or EHR avoiders. As the newly appointed Medical Director of Connexin Software, I plan to use this space weekly to comment on many different topics relevant to those of us who practice pediatrics. From the frustrations of negotiating with insurance companies, to the ever-changing ACIP immunization schedule, to HIT initiatives across the country, and the inadequate representation of pediatricians and pediatrics surrounding many health care topics, there is so much to say!

I had an INCREDIBLE experience this week. I was asked to represent the PA chapter of the AAP standing behind President Obabma as he gave his speech about health care at Arcadia University on Monday. The room was electric, and no matter what you think about health care reform, it is totally cool to be able to tell my patients that I stood 20 feet away from the President of the United States.

I have LOTS of thoughts and opinions on the health care reform topic, as do most of us. As someone who runs her own small business/pediatric office and is a consumer of health care as well as a pediatrician who often experiences the first-hand inequities of health care to children, how can I NOT have passionate thoughts on this topic. I won't bore or inflame you with my personal philosophies except to say that I believe there is a medical parallel to the current debate. There are many times in medicine when we don't know exactly what is wrong with the patient or how to heal them. However, sometimes we have to start somewhere, and act quickly or the patient's condition will decline precisely by our inaction. I believe this is also true for the current debate: we must start somewhere. Yes, the devil will be in the details but if we don't act, even a multi-organ transplant won't save the current health care system.

Connexin Software is pleased to announce Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP as the newest addition to the team. Dr. Kressly has joined us in an official capacity as Medical Director. Many of you may know her from her involvement with the Council on Clinical Information Technology and the Section on Administration and Practice Management of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She testified in DC on behalf of the AAP regarding implications for HIT adoption/ARRA funding for pediatrics, and before the CDC regarding physician use of immunization registries. In addition she serves on the Child Health work group of CCHIT and is on the executive board of the PA Chapter of the AAP. We welcome her input and expertise as we continue our commitment to the pediatric-focus of Office Practicum. She has much to say regarding HIT in pediatrics as well as other topics which impact pediatric practice. We look forward to hearing from her with regular updates on relevant issues on our Blog.