The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking vendors to maintain and enhance the web-based New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS). The NYSIIS is a tool that is increasingly used to support the goals and objectives of not only programs within the Bureau of Immunizations, but also other programs throughout the NYSDOH.
The Bureau of Immunization within the Division of Epidemiology, in the NYSDOH Center for Community Health is responsible for the maintenance and enhancement of a statewide immunization information system. The vendor will need to assume maintenance responsibility for all NYSIIS fixes, updates, and enhancements.
In addition, the vendor will need to enable NYSIIS to collaborate with other NYSDOH Health Information Exchange initiatives. For example the Immunization Bi-Directional Information Exchange Project is working to connect NYSIIS to the Universal Public Health Node to facilitate Health Information Exchanges with Regional Health Information Organizations and participating providers. Efforts are also focusing on a collaborative effort to develop a solution for the seamless integration of health information for children in the state.
To begin the process, a few years ago, NYSDOH acquired a computerized internet database application developed by Electronic Data Systems (EDS) originally for the State of Wisconsin in 2000 known as the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) which was developed to record and track immunizations.
NYSDOH in 2006 entered into a contract with EDS to modify and maintain the WIR software for compliance with new statutes under the new applications name “New York State Immunization Information System” or NYSIIS.
The web application went live for healthcare providers in 2008, but now the system is currently in the maintenance and operations phase. Today, NYSDOH wants to see the NYSIIS application evolve but to do so a significant number of updates and enhancements are required in order to become fully compliant with federal recommendations and NYSDOH requirements.
RFP No. 1212030151 issued August 9, 2013 is due September 27, 2012 with the anticipated contract start date to be December 1, 2013.
Go www.health.ny.gov/funding/rfp/1212030151/121203051.pdf to view the RFP. For more information contact Joseph Zeccolo at jxz02@health.state.ny.us or call 518-474-7896 or contact Dina Hoefer PhD, at dxh13@health.ny.gov or call 518-473-2839.