HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will grant nearly $20 million in funds to improve tracking and sharing of COVID-19 vaccination data among healthcare providers.
The new investments will support opportunities to track vaccination progress, help clinicians pinpoint and contact high-risk patients, and coordinate appointments for patients due to receive the second dose of the vaccine, according to the department's Jan. 19 news release.
The funding builds on ONC's Strengthening the Technical Advancement and Readiness of Public Health Agencies via Health Information Exchange Program by helping communities improve the sharing of health information related to vaccinations. ONC will also award funds to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization to support immunization related HIE collaborations.
The funding for the awards comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which President Donald Trump signed last March.
In the U.S., there are currently 63 immunization information systems, which are funded in part through the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.