Data Exchange with CAIR
Electronic import/export of immunization data via flat file (i.e. .txt) to/from the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) is available to participating health care providers. See who’s already sharing data with CAIR. See section below for discussion of HITECH ‘meaningful use’ electronic data exchange.
Why participate in data exchange with CAIR?
If you have an electronic health record system (EHR), data exchange is an easy and efficient way to share patient immunization information with CAIR without the added burden of doing double data entry into your EHR system and CAIR. Sharing patient immunization information with the registry assures its ready and available any time a patient or health care provider, school, daycare, or other authorized user needs to access it.
How does electronic data exchange with CAIR work?
1. Working with your clinic IT staff or your Electronic Medical Record (EMR) vendor, your practice must develop an export process that retrieves immunization data from your clinic’s EMR system and exports it as a ‘flat file’ formatted according to the CAIR Flat File Data Exchange specifications. Click here to see a list of vendors who have already developed data exchange capability with CAIR.
2. The formatted data file is sent to CAIR via secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Once the data is uploaded to the FTP site by your practice, CAIR imports the data into the registry via an automated schedule agreed upon by both parties. You also have the option of having immunization data extracted from CAIR that can be uploaded to your EMR. Learn more about which option is right for you.
Getting Started
1. If you feel your clinical practice is a good candidate for data exchange, call the CAIR Help Desk and they will refer you to a CAIR Data Exchange Specialist. This person will contact you and discuss how to proceed.
2. Download and review the following documents with your IT staff or contractor. Complete any of the following forms that require approval and return to CAIR via the method listed on the form:
- CAIR Flat File Data Exchange Specifications
- CAIR Data Translation Tables (Excel Format)
- CAIR FTP Access Form
- CAIR Provider Access Agreement (If your clinic is not currently participating in CAIR, this document will need to be signed and returned before your clinic can begin exchanging data with the registry)
HITECH Meaningful Use Immunization Data Exchange: Currently, only the CAIR San Diego and CAIR San Joaquin regions are able to receive immunization data that qualifies for HITECH ‘meaningful use’ (MU by CA county). However, because the other registries in CA are not yet able to receive qualifying immunization data, providers in those counties can still receive Stage 1 incentive payments. For an explanation, go to the CDPH meaningful use website.
HEDIS (for Health Plans and MCOs)
Data exchange offers a quick, easy way for health plans and managed care organizations (MCOs) to determine immunization coverage levels within participating provider practices.
How does HEDIS data exchange with CAIR work?
Following the specifications outlined in the HEDIS Data Request Process document, Managed Care Organizations (MCO) and/or Health Plans upload a patient list to CAIR in comma delimited format to an FTP folder. CAIR downloads the submitted patient list and matches it with the patient names in the CAIR database. When the matching process is completed, two output files are returned to the same FTP folder location. The first file contains the patient demographic information and the second file contains the vaccination information on the matched patients.
Getting Started
Download and review the following documents. Complete any of the forms that require approval and return via the method listed on the form: