Foa_Content_of_CDC-RFA-IP-24-0079.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Partnerships to Enhance Immunization Information Systems (IIS)

CDC-RFA-IP-24-0079

05/15/2024

Table of Contents A. Funding Opportunity Description

B. Award Information

C. Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

E. Review and Selection Process

F. Award Administration Information

G. Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

I. Glossary

Part I. Overview Applicants must go to the synopsis page of this announcement at www.grants.gov and click on the "Subscribe" button link to ensure they receive notifications of any changes to CDC-RFA-IP- 24-0079. Applicants also must provide an e-mail address to www.grants.gov to receive notifications of changes.

A. Federal Agency Name:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

B. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Title:

Partnerships to Enhance Immunization Information Systems (IIS)

C. Announcement Type: New - Type 1:

This announcement is only for non-research activities supported by CDC. If research is proposed, the application will not be considered. For purposes of this NOFO, research is defined as set forth in 45 CFR 75.2 and, for further clarity, as set forth in 42 CFR 52.2 (see eCFR :: 45 CFR 75.2 -- Definitions and https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR- 2007-title42-vol1-sec52-2.pdf. In addition, for purposes of research involving human subjects and available exceptions for public health activities, please see 45 CFR 46.102(l) (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-46/subpart-A/section- 46.102#p-46.102(l)).

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D. Agency Notice of Funding Opportunity Number:

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR-2007-title42-vol1-sec52-2.pdf https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR-2007-title42-vol1-sec52-2.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-46/subpart-A/section-46.102#p-46.102(l) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-46/subpart-A/section-46.102#p-46.102(l)

E. Assistance Listings Number:

93.185

F. Dates:

1. Due Date for Letter of Intent (LOI):

03/14/2024 Not Applicable Letter of intent is not required for this funding opportunity.

2. Due Date for Applications:

05/15/2024 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time, at www.grants.gov.

3. Due Date for Informational Conference Call N/A

G. Executive Summary:

Summary Paragraph The mission of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) is the prevention of disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory and related diseases. The Informatics and Data Analytics Branch (IDAB) within the Immunization Service Division of NCIRD, provides vision and support for CDC and jurisdiction immunization information systems (IISs) to capture and exchange high-quality data to inform public health action. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to build capacity in Immunization and IIS programs housed in jurisdictional public health departments and to modernize and improve the data quality and interoperability of IISs. NCIRD has prioritized the advancement of IIS and the use of these systems to assess vaccination rates, inform public health interventions, prevent vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) and to respond more efficiently to VPD outbreaks or other public health threats. Since 2012, NCIRD/IDAB has partnered with organizations that work directly with immunization and IIS programs to achieve CDC’s priorities for Immunization and IIS programs. This funding opportunity continues a partnership relationship with these entities, which is critical for achieving CDC’s vision for Immunization programs and IIS.

a. NOFO Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement)

b. Approximate Number of Awards The expected number of awards for this funding opportunity is 2.

c. Total Period of Performance Funding:

$20,000,000

d. Average One Year Award Amount:

$2,000,000 Over a five-year period of performance, CDC will award a range of $750,000 to $3,250,000 each budget year depending on the size and scope of activity.

The estimated funding for the following components and strategies is $3,000,000-$3,100,000.

Components 1 (Advance Technology and Standards) strategies 1.1-1.5, Component 2(Community Engagement and Support) strategies 2.1-2.4

Component 3(Improve Data Collection and Use) strategies 3.1-3.2

Component 5 (Education) strategies 5.1-5.5

The estimated funding for the following components and strategies is $700,000-$750,000

Component 4 (Workforce development) strategies 4.1-4.3

Component 5 (Education) strategy 5.1,5.2, 5.4, 5.5

e. Total Period of Performance Length:

5 year(s)

f. Estimated Award Date:

August 01, 2024

g. Cost Sharing and / or Matching Requirements:

No

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A. Funding Opportunity Description

1. Background

a. Overview There is considerable evidence that the use of Immunization Information Systems (IISs) is beneficial to assess vaccination rates, inform public health interventions, and prevent vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). CDC has prioritized advancing IISs and improving the data housed in these systems to inform public health decisions. Additionally, CDC has increased the use of IISs to facilitate reporting of vaccination data associated with public health emergency response efforts and during normal operations for national public health monitoring purposes. CDC’s vision for IIS is that they can enable the standardized capture, exchange, and use of high-quality, individual-level immunization data for all doses of ACIP-recommended vaccines and ensure these data are linked across jurisdictions, providers, and partners, and to other individual-level data sources to inform public health action. The Informatics and Data Analytics Branch (IDAB) within the Immunization Services Division, leads efforts to establish and promote the requirements and standards used by jurisdictional IIS to improve immunization data quality and to ensure vaccine administration data in IIS is used to inform public health decisions. IDAB supports IIS by advancing technology and standards, improving IIS data collection and data use, engaging the IIS community, and providing technical assistance. IDAB will leverage this funding opportunity to build capacity within immunization and IIS programs by having award recipients work with state, tribal, local, and territorial immunization programs funded by CDC for IIS-related activities and CDC to achieve the vision for IIS. The five components below will be used to inform the strategies, activities and outcomes of this opportunity and achieve the CDC's vision for IIS.

Component 1: Advance Technology and Standards – These strategies support maintaining and improving IIS standards and requirements, influencing the health IT landscape to improve data quality at the point of care, improving interoperability across the IIS ecosystem, leveraging the Immunization Gateway to facilitate data exchange, and evaluating and improving the application of IIS standards.

Component 2: Community Engagement and Support- These strategies support creating a community of collaboration amongst all IIS stakeholders by facilitating productive dialogue, establishing transparent feedback loops, improving the understanding of application of policies, requirements and standards, and serving as an extension of CDC in providing technical assistance.

Component 3: Improve Data Collection and Use-These strategies support improving the data collection, management and use of IIS data including collaboration with healthcare providers and electronic health record vendors to improve data quality at the point of care, and using IIS data to assess coverage, identify populations at risk for vaccine preventable diseases, and monitor responses

Component 4: Workforce Development- These strategies support improving the knowledge, skills and ability of IIS workforce through the development of competencies and competency-based approaches, resources to aid standardization across the workforce, and best practices in workforce development.

Component 5: Education-These strategies support leveraging education principles and practices to improve the knowledge of the IIS workforce including managing communities of practice and/or user groups to share best practices and lessons learned and development and delivery of online and in-person educational events and training.

b. Statutory Authorities This program is authorized under section 317(k)(1) of the Public Health Service Act [42 US. C.

247b(k)(1)]. Under this statutory authority, for-profit entities are not eligible.

c. Healthy People 2030 Activities of the program will be in alignment with Healthy People 2030 Goals and Objectives related to increasing vaccination rates Vaccination - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov and Infectious diseases Infectious Disease - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov.

d. Other National Public Health Priorities and Strategies This space intentionally left blank.

e. Relevant Work https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/vaccination https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/infectious-disease

The activities below are an extension or continuation of activities in previous NOFOs including, CDC-RFA-IP12-1202:Immunization Information Systems (IIS) Capacity Building Immunization Information Systems (IIS) Capacity Building - Federal Grant (federalgrants.com) ; CDC-RFA- IP15-1501: Immunization Information Systems (IIS) Capacity and Operations Support Immunization Information Systems (IIS) Capacity and Operations Support - Federal Grant (federalgrants.com); CDC-RFA-IP14-1409PPHF14; CDC-OT18-1802: Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation's Health - Federal Grant (federalgrants.com)

Previous NOFO Activities

Develop a strategy for adoption of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) for the immunization community.

Plan and implement technical small workgroups/committees to support CDC and community recommended priorities and develop the appropriate supporting documents, test cases or demonstrations.

Establish an HL7 focused workgroup/committee to facilitate application of the HL7 requirements across the IIS community.

Establish a standards and interoperability workgroup/committee focused on developing standards and guidance to inform operational and technical issues critical to successful IIS interoperability and functionality.

Assess current tools and associated documentation developed to measure IIS performance against HHS/CDC best practices to determine gaps and alignment with requirements for Federally funded information technology. Identify and address gaps and determine level of effort for incorporating additional requirements for CDC AART usage.

Develop and maintain in accordance with Federal IT requirements an instance of AART that can be used in partnership with CDC to evaluate jurisdictions’ alignment to CDC Implementation Guide.

Support IIS vendors’ ability to leverage existing IIS performance measurement tools to assess their products’ alignment to M&I, national standards and CDC priorities.

Support identifying and documenting HL7 IG gaps.

Recruit EHR vendors, test the systems for advanced immunization capabilities and recognize vendors with these capabilities.

Conduct post testing and recognition vendor evaluation to inform process and outcome improvement.

Establish a process for periodically reviewing and improving the retesting strategy and process for renewing and extending recognition.

Improve the testing and recognition process and improve conversion of the testing process to a modular approach.

Develop and maintain a governing body that is used to bring together stakeholders from the IIS and EHR communities to identify, prioritize and advance solutions to common IIS-EHR interoperability and testing issues.

Provide subject matter expertise (SME) to support IZG documentation development, review, and maintenance.

https://www.federalgrants.com/Immunization-Information-Systems-IIS-Capacity-Building-39813.html https://www.federalgrants.com/Immunization-Information-Systems-IIS-Capacity-Building-39813.html https://www.federalgrants.com/Immunization-Information-Systems-IIS-Capacity-and-Operations-Support-57494.html https://www.federalgrants.com/Immunization-Information-Systems-IIS-Capacity-and-Operations-Support-57494.html https://www.federalgrants.com/Strengthening-Public-Health-Systems-and-Services-through-National-Partnerships-to-Improve-and-Protect-the-Nations-Health-72451.html https://www.federalgrants.com/Strengthening-Public-Health-Systems-and-Services-through-National-Partnerships-to-Improve-and-Protect-the-Nations-Health-72451.html

Develop and implement strategies for IZG HL7 conformance testing for Provider-IIS and IIS-IIS onboarding and collaborate with CDC and the IZG O&M vendor to define a roadmap to increase standardization.

Provide technical assistance to onboard to the IZG to jurisdictions and providers identified by the CDC.

Manage and support the coordination and organization of the Measuring for Assessment and Certification Advisory Workgroup (MACAW).

Assess and address gaps in organizational IIS performance by conducting formal evaluations of IIS adherence to standards in current IIS functionality content areas (maintenance of content areas that are in validation and content areas that CDC has approved to proceed with the M&I process).

Develop and execute a plan that finalizes movement of patient matching using HL7 from assessment to validation and execute the plan.

Develop and execute a plan that expands patient matching assessment using DAR-like method to develop tooling that can be piloted.

Develop and execute a plan that moves Query Measure 5 into Validation.

Develop and execute a plan that moves VFC Provider Participation from Assessment to validation.

Develop and execute a plan that determines if Quality Incoming/Ongoing content area can be updated.

Manage and maintain the MOUs used for the immunization gateway (IZG) effort and work with CDC and the IZG O&M vendor to track jurisdictions that have signed and completed the MOU.

Collaborate with CDC to develop and leverage a central location for all resources jurisdictions can use to manage their IIS programs and comply with the 317 cooperative agreement requirements.

Develop and implement a comprehensive communication plan for all funded cooperative agreement activities focused on identifying stakeholders, understanding their information needs, developing the appropriate messaging and communication artifacts for the stakeholders, and leveraging the appropriate communication channels.

Develop and submit to CDC on a re-occurring basis messages award recipients would like CDC to amplify using CDC communications vehicles.

Leverage CDC Resource Development guide to plan the development of resources for IIS stakeholders.

Establish and maintain a resource development workgroup/committee that will work with the CDC to discuss and determine prioritization of best practice resources, guidance and other resources for development.

In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a smarty streets user group that brings together Smarty Streets implementers and users to assist IIS in their initial set-up (responsive TA), help them troubleshoot any issues (responsive TA), share uses and successes, and encourage peer-to-peer relationships amongst the jurisdictions and platforms.

In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a power business intelligence (BI) user group that convenes all levels of Power BI users to share challenges and successes, ask questions of their peers, and troubleshoot issues. In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a tableau user group (TUG) that convenes all levels of Tableau users to share challenges and successes, ask questions of their peers, and troubleshoot issues.

• Collaborate with CDC to ensure IIS functionality and technical infrastructure aligns with national standards and CDC priorities through the provision of planned and/or ad-hoc onsite and remote technical assistance.

• Plan, implement and maintain onboarding shared services for IIS jurisdictions with an emphasis on maintaining, onboarding technical assistance documentation and resources, providing ad-hoc and/or planned technical assistance to prioritized jurisdictions, and evaluating the effectiveness of the shared service documentation and technical assistance.

• Support health IT partners (e.g., EHRs, HIEs) to accelerate the adoption of solutions that improve immunization data quality and interoperability and prepare EHR vendors for testing to improve immunization data exchange. Coordinate with other CDC technical assistance efforts to facilitate the adoption of the solutions.

• Support a community group for jurisdictions that are transitioning from one IIS platform for another.

• Support CDC and jurisdictional workgroup in updating and maintaining IIS functional standards so that the standards accurately reflect the requirements of the IIS to support the jurisdictional and federal Immunization goals.

• Support CDC in maintaining a current set of technical and operational requirements that all IIS should meet.

• Regularly attend and participate in key federal advisory meetings such as ACIP, National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) and other key Health IT and immunization related meetings, as needed. Use these forums to reinforce CDC IIS vision and priorities in collaboration with CDC. Strategically collaborate with existing and new organizations to inform local and federal policies so that they are aligned with the mission of IIS. Develop a strategy in collaboration with CDC for addressing policy-related topics impacting the IIS community.

• Establish and maintain a Community of Practice focused on epidemiologic data analytics, visualization and reporting of immunization data, and a crowdsourced compilation of code for immunization epidemiologists and data analysts.

• Support CDC with the development and dissemination of routine vaccination code utilized to generate summary immunization surveillance statistics.

• Support CDC with effort to provide additional analytic tool and support for improving IIS data quality, as needed.

• Support CDC in providing accompanying TA (upon request) for jurisdictions that need assistance with data quality improvement

• Define and develop IIS specific role descriptions.

• Develop Immunization/IIS role curricula for all developed IIS specific role descriptions.

• Enhance and maintain IIS competency model.

• Complete IIS Staffing Analysis based on IIS Budget Template Staffing Data.

• Enhance and maintain different tool kits that support development of knowledge, skills and abilities of IIS staff in activities that are not regularly performed.

• Develop and implement training plan for On-boarding Shared Services.

• Develop and implement an interoperability training module.

• Increase knowledge among IIS managers/and or IIS staff through peer-to-peer sharing.

• Create and implement informational webinars based on prioritized IIS topics.

• Plan and implement on-line, in-person or peer-to-peer forums for the IIS community to learn and network and move forward national IIS priorities.

• Improve awareness and use of these formats.

• Develop and deliver IIS leadership workshop.

• Develop, /create, and implement IIS specific content learning modules.

• Maintain and update current set of IIS Specific learning modules.

• Develop and hold procurement webinars.

2. CDC Project Description

a. Approach

Bold indicates period of performance outcome.

Logic Model: Partnerships to Enhance IIS

Bold indicates period of performance outcome

Select one or more component

Select one or more strategies in each component

Strategies and Activities Short-Term Outcomes

Intermediate Outcomes Long-Term Outcomes

Component 1: Advance Technology and Standards

1.1. Implement

Immunization Information System (IIS) Standards

1.2. Enhance Electronic

Health Records (EHR) Standards

1.3. Enhance Immunization

Gateway/ Interoperability

1.4. Participate in the

Measurement & Improvement Initiative (M&I)

Maintain, and enhance IIS standards.

Enhance, maintain and provide technical assistance for select shared services.

Increase the recognition of EHR products with advanced IIS functionality and with improved capabilities for

Promote IIS standards

Increase end user participation in select shared services.

Increase the number of EHR vendors that can attest their recognized products work as expected in production or the real world.

Apply IIS standards more uniformly across IIS and between IIS platforms and EHR vendors.

Establish a national immunization surveillance/monitoring system at CDC to develop a comprehensive picture of vaccination.

Improve technology, in conjunction with standardization, provide

1.5. Maintain inter-

jurisdictional memorandum of understanding (MOU) for data exchange exchanging data with IIS.

Increase the number of jurisdictions ready to exchange data with each other and with multi-jurisdictional providers.

Increase adoption of IIS standards.

Increase the number of jurisdictions overcoming implementation guide barriers involved with exchanging data with each other and among multi-jurisdictional providers.

Improve IIS functionality and capability by establishing and maintaining an IIS certification program.

Increase use of standards to improve data quality at the provider and jurisdiction level.

high quality data across the public health system.

Component 2:

Community Engagement and Support

2.1. Enhance

Communications and Marketing Plans

2.2. Establish and

support User Groups and Committees to develop resources for IIS

2.3. Provide Technical

Assistance

2.4. Maintain

Immunization Information System Policy & Standards Engagement

Increase the representation of IIS’s needs in the development of national policies, standards and certification programs impacting the IIS space.

Enhance and sustain the IIS workforce.

Increase awareness and understanding of resources, standards and

Increase awareness of IIS value to public health by ensuring a comprehensive national and jurisdictional picture of vaccination

Improve IIS workforce capacity to address expected and emerging standards of IIS programs

Increase use of IIS standards, Reduce non-fiscal resource gaps preventing Immunization and IIS programs from completing prioritized immunization management activities.

Establish clear, consistent messaging and strategy around existing and emerging policies, priority issues and challenges.

Improve dialogue between key stakeholders working in public health immunization programs.

Improve communication between jurisdictions and

TA available to jurisdictions.

resources, and TA available to jurisdictions

CDC of priorities, needs, and best practices.

Component 3: Improve Data Collection and Use

3.1. Establish and

maintain Data Use Community of Practice

3.2. Promote community

collaboration to improve IIS data quality

Define the goals and objectives of and launch a data use community of practice.

Identify the barriers to improving data quality for IISs.

Enhance data sharing and management between IIS, CDC, and other vaccination partners.

Enhance best practices for improving IIS data quality.

Increase data use to assess vaccination coverage.

Establish a national immunization surveillance system at CDC to develop a comprehensive picture of vaccination.

Increase confidence and demonstrate the value of IIS data for timely public health decision making.

Improve data quality and use of vaccine administration data for decision-making in reports, dashboards, and visualizations.

Component 4: Workforce Development

4.1 Develop tools and

resources to enhance IIS workforce recruitment and retention

4.2 Develop/maintain IIS-

related competencies;

4.3 Identify and

disseminate best practices in workforce development.

Identify IIS roles to meet immunization program needs.

Enhance workforce resources to meet recruitment and retention needs.

Develop workforce staffing resources to support all IIS functional roles and responsibilities.

Increase use of tool kits by immunization jurisdictions to support best practices in IIS workforce development.

Engage partners to assess IIS workforce competencies and needs.

Engage partners to ensure that workforce resources meet recruitment and retention needs.

Component 5: Education Enhance educational materials and

Increase jurisdictions’ IIS Staff use of

Increase IIS staffs’ understanding of methods to overcome barriers that

5.1. Improve IIS Training

Offerings

5.2. Improve IIS

knowledge through peer-to-peer forums

5.3. Develop

informational webinars

5.4 . Enhance formal training leveraging online, in-person or peer-to-peer forums formats, and improve dissemination/awareness and use of the training

5.5. Educate IIS Workforce

increase training opportunities for IIS staff.

educational materials and training offerings.

CDC’s increases engagement at meetings with jurisdictions to provide guidance on national standards and the Federal Section 317 immunization grant (317 cooperative agreement).

prevent achieving national IIS standards and requirements.

Increase IIS staffs' knowledge of current and emerging IIS topics impacting their ability to achieve their 317 cooperative agreement requirements.

Improve IIS staff knowledge and skill sets to achieve the goals of their respective roles.

i. Purpose The purpose is to build state and local public health capacity to operate, maintain and improve IISs and the application of national requirements; influence the health IT landscape to improve data quality; improve interoperability; evaluate and improve the application of IIS standards;

create opportunities for collaboration across the IIS community to improve understanding of policies, requirements and standards; provide technical assistance; improve the data collection, management and use of IIS data; improve knowledge, skills and ability of IIS workforce; and educate the IIS workforce.

ii. Outcomes Component 1: Advance Technology and Standards

Short term:

• Maintain, and enhance IIS standards.

• Enhance, maintain and provide technical assistance for select shared services.

• Increase the recognition of EHR products with advanced IIS functionality and with improved capabilities for exchanging data with IIS.

• Increase the number of jurisdictions ready to exchange data with each other and with multi-jurisdictional providers.

• Increase adoption of IIS standards.

Intermediate:

• Promote IIS standards.

• Increase end user participation in select shared services.

• Increase the number of EHR products that can attest their recognized products work as expected in production or the real world.

• Increase the number of jurisdictions overcoming implementation guide barriers involved with exchanging data with each other, with multi-jurisdictional providers and reporting data to CDC.

• Improve IIS functionality and capability by informing the establishment and maintenance of an IIS certification program.

• Increase use of standards to improve data quality at the provider and jurisdiction level.

Long term:

• Apply IIS standards more uniformly across IIS and between IIS platforms and EHR vendors.

• Establish a national immunization surveillance system at CDC to develop a comprehensive picture of vaccination.

• Improve technology, in conjunction with standardization, provides high quality data across the public health system.

Component 2: Community Engagement and Support

Short term:

• Increase the representation of IIS’s needs in the development of national policies, standards and certification programs impacting the IIS space.

• Enhance and sustain the IIS workforce.

• Increase awareness and understanding of resources, standards and TA available to jurisdictions.

• Increase awareness of IIS value to public health by ensuring a comprehensive national and jurisdictional picture of vaccination.

• Improve IIS workforce capacity to address expected and emerging standards of IIS programs.

• Increase use of IIS standards, resources, and TA available to jurisdictions.

• Reduce non-fiscal resource gaps preventing Immunization and IIS programs from completing prioritized immunization management activities.

• Establish clear, consistent messaging and strategy around existing and emerging policies, priority issues and challenges.

• Improve dialogue between key stakeholders working in public health immunization programs.

• Improve communication between jurisdictions and CDC of priorities, needs, and best practices.

Component 3: Improve Data Collection and Use

Short Term:

• Define the goals and objectives of and launch a data use community of practice.

• Identify the barriers to improving data quality for IISs.

• Enhance data sharing and management between IISs, CDC, and other vaccination partners.

• Enhance best practices for improving IIS data quality.

• Increase data use to assess vaccination coverage.

• Establish a national immunization surveillance system at CDC to develop a comprehensive picture of vaccination.

• Increase confidence and demonstrate the value of IIS data for timely public health decision-making.

• Improve data quality and use of vaccine administration data for decision-making in reports, dashboards, and visualizations.

Component 4: Workforce Development

• Identify IIS roles to meet immunization program needs.

Intermediate:

• Enhance workforce resources to meets recruitment and retention needs.

• Develop workforce staffing resources to support all IIS functional roles and responsibilities.

• Increase use of tool kits by immunization jurisdictions to support best practices in IIS workforce development.

• Engage partners to assess IIS workforce competencies and needs.

• Engage partners to ensure that workforce resources meet recruitment and retention needs.

Component 5: Education

• Enhance educational materials and increase training opportunities for IIS staff.

Intermediate:

• Increase jurisdictions’ IIS Staff use of educational materials and training offerings.

• CDC increases engagement at meetings with jurisdictions to provide guidance on national standards and the 317 cooperative agreement.

Long term:

• Increase IIS staffs’ understanding of methods to overcome barriers that prevent achieving national IIS standards and requirements.

• Increase IIS staffs' knowledge of current and emerging IIS topics impacting their ability to achieve their 317 cooperative agreement requirements.

• Improve IIS staff knowledge and skill sets to achieve the goals of their respective roles.

iii. Strategies and Activities Component 1 (Advance Technology and Standards) activities fall into 5 broad strategies

1.1 Implement Immunization Information System (IIS) Standards.

1.2 Enhance Electronic Health Records Standards.

1.3 Enhance Immunization Gateway (IZG) implementation/interoperability.

1.4 Participate in the Measurement & Improvement Initiative (M&I).

1.5 Maintain inter-jurisdictional memorandum of understanding (MOU) for data exchange.

Component 2 (Community Engagement and Support) activities fall into 4 broad strategies

2.1 Enhance Communications and Marketing Plans.

2.2 Establish and support User Groups and Committees to develop resources for IIS.

2.3 Provide Technical Assistance.

2.4 Maintain Immunization Information System Policy & Standards Engagement.

Component 3 (Improve Data Collection and Use) fall into 2 broad strategies

3.5 Establish and maintain Data Use Community of Practice.

3.6 Promote community collaboration to improve IIS data quality.

Component 4 (Workforce Development) fall into 3 broad strategies

4.1 Develop tools and resources to enhance IIS workforce recruitment and retention.

4.2 Develop/maintain IIS-related competencies.

4.3 Identify and disseminate best practices in workforce development.

Component 5 (Education) fall into 5 broad strategies

5.1 Improve IIS Training Offerings.

5.2 Improve IIS knowledge through peer-to-peer forums.

5.3 Develop informational webinars.

5.4 Enhance formal training leveraging online, in-person or peer-to-peer forums formats, and improve dissemination/awareness and use of the training.

5.5 Educate IIS Workforce.

Please refer to the Funding Strategy section below for more details. Each applicant must select at least one component. For each component selected, select at least one strategy and at least one activity within a strategy. Applicants are required to also describe the technical approach and elaborate on the milestones they plan to use to complete the selected activity(s). Additionally, applicants can propose additional activities for consideration under each strategy. Activities proposed by applicants must be noted as such in the application narrative and the appropriate technical approach and milestones that will be used to complete the proposed activity must be described. All activities including items proposed by applicants will be considered, but, due to funding limitations, applicant proposed activities may start in subsequent budget periods.

Component 1 (Advance Technology and Standards) align to 5 broad strategies and associated activities below.

Strategy 1.1 Implement Immunization Information System (IIS) Standards

• Develop a strategy for adoption of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) for the immunization community.

• Plan and implement technical small workgroups/committees to support CDC and community recommended priorities and develop the appropriate supporting documents, test cases or demonstrations. The target for this activity is 2 groups per year.

• Establish an HL7 focused workgroup/committee to facilitate application of the HL7 requirements across the IIS community.

• Establish a standards and interoperability workgroup/committee focused on developing standards and guidance to inform operational and technical issues critical to successful IIS interoperability and functionality.

• Assess current tools and associated documentation developed to measure IIS performance against HHS/CDC best practices to determine gaps and alignment with requirements for Federally funded information technology. Identify and address gaps and determine level of effort for incorporating additional requirements for CDC aggregate analysis reporting tool (AART) usage.

• Develop and maintain in accordance with Federal IT requirements an instance of AART that can be used in partnership with CDC to evaluate jurisdictions’ alignment to CDC Implementation Guide

• Support IIS vendors’ ability to leverage existing IIS performance measurement tools to assess their product's alignment to M&I, national standards and CDC priorities.

• Support identifying and documenting HL7 IG gaps

Strategy 1.2 Enhance Electronic Health Records Standards

• Recruit EHR vendors, test the systems for advanced immunization capabilities and recognize vendors with these capabilities.

• Conduct post testing and recognition vendor evaluation to inform process and outcome improvement.

• Establish a process for periodically reviewing and improving the retesting strategy and process for renewing and extending recognition

• Improve the testing and recognition process and improve conversion of the testing process to a modular approach

• Develop and maintain a governing body that is used to bring together stakeholders from the IIS and EHR communities to identify, prioritize and advance solutions to common IIS-EHR interoperability and testing issues.

Strategy 1.3 Enhance Immunization Gateway/ Interoperability

• Provide subject matter expertise (SME) to support IZG documentation development, review, and maintenance.

• Develop and implement strategies for IZG HL7 conformance testing for Provider-IIS and IIS-IIS on-boarding and collaborate with CDC and the IZG O&M vendor to define a roadmap to increase standardization.

• Provide technical assistance to onboard to the IZG to jurisdictions and providers prioritized by the CDC

Strategy 1.4 Participate in the Measurement and Improvement Initiative (M&I)

• Manage and support the coordination and organization of the Measuring for Assessment and Certification Advisory Workgroup (MACAW) including working with CDC to ensure MACAW aligns with IDAB priorities.

• Throughout the period of performance, assess and address gaps in organizational IIS performance by conducting formal evaluations of IIS adherence to standards in current IIS functionality content areas (maintenance of content areas that are in validation and content areas that CDC has approved to proceed with the M&I process)

• Develop a plan that considers the first budget period and future cooperative agreement budget periods that finalize movement of patient matching using HL7 from assessment to validation and execute the plan.

• Develop and execute a plan that considers the first budget period and future cooperative agreement budget periods that expand patient matching assessment using data at rest (DAR)-like method to develop tooling that can be piloted.

• Develop and execute a plan that considers the first budget period and future cooperative agreement budget periods for moving Query Measure 5 into Validation

• Develop and execute a plan that considers the first budget period and future cooperative agreement budget periods that move Vaccine for Children (VFC) Provider Participation from Assessment to validation.

• Develop and execute a plan that considers the first budget period and future cooperative agreement budget period to determine if Quality Incoming/Ongoing content area can be updated

Strategy 1.5 Maintain the inter-jurisdictional memorandum of understanding (MOU) for data exchange

• Manage and maintain the MOUs used for the immunization gateway (IZG) effort and work with CDC and the IZG O&M vendor to track jurisdictions that have signed and completed the MOU.

Component 2 (Community Engagement and Support) align to 4 broad strategies and associated activities below.

Strategy 2.1 Enhance Communications and Marketing Plans

• Collaborate with CDC to develop and leverage a central location for all resources jurisdictions can use to manage their IIS programs and comply with the 317 cooperative agreement requirements.

• Develop and implement a comprehensive communication plan for all funded cooperative agreement activities focused on identifying stakeholders, understanding their information needs, developing the appropriate messaging and communication artifacts for the stakeholders, and leveraging the appropriate communication channels.

• Develop and submit to CDC on a re-occurring basis messages award recipients would like CDC to amplify using CDC communications vehicles.

• Leverage CDC Resource Development guide to plan the development of resources for IIS stakeholders.

Strategy 2.2 Establish and support User Groups and Committees to develop resources for IIS

• Establish and maintain a resource development workgroup/committee that will work with the CDC to discuss and determine prioritization of best practice resources, guidance and other resources for development. This body will be used to inform the prioritization of all resources developed leveraging this cooperative agreement.

• In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a smarty streets user group that brings together Smarty Streets implementers and users to assist IIS in their initial set-up (responsive TA), help them troubleshoot any issues (responsive TA), share uses and successes, and encourage peer-to-peer relationships amongst the jurisdictions and platforms.

• In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a power business intelligence (BI) user group that convenes all levels of Power BI users to share challenges and successes, ask questions of their peers, and troubleshoot issues. In collaboration with CDC, establish and maintain a tableau user group (TUG) that convenes all levels of Tableau users to share challenges and successes, ask questions of their peers, and troubleshoot issues.

Strategy 2.3 Provide Technical Assistance

• Collaborate with CDC to ensure IIS functionality and technical infrastructure aligns with national standards and CDC priorities through the provision of planned and/or ad-hoc onsite and remote technical assistance.

• Plan, implement and maintain onboarding shared services for IIS jurisdictions with an emphasis on maintaining, onboarding technical assistance documentation and resources, providing ad-hoc and/or planned technical assistance to prioritized jurisdictions, and evaluating the effectiveness of the shared service documentation and technical assistance.

• Support health IT partners (e.g., EHRs, HIEs) to accelerate the adoption of solutions that improve immunization data quality and interoperability and prepare EHR vendors for testing to improve immunization data exchange. Coordinate with other CDC technical assistance efforts to facilitate the adoption of the solutions.

• Support a community group for jurisdictions that are transitioning from one IIS platform for another. The support would provide resources and information jurisdictions need to effectively plan and implement a system transition.

• Support CDC and jurisdictional workgroup in updating and maintaining IIS functional standards so that the standards accurately reflect the requirements of the IIS to support the jurisdictional and federal Immunization goals.

• Support CDC in maintaining a current set of technical and operational requirements that all IIS should meet. Jurisdictions can use this set of requirements to develop request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP) as well as ensure that the system they are using has the capabilities to meet the requirements CDC has set forth for a jurisdiction in its 317/VFC Cooperative Agreement.

Strategy 2.4 Maintain Immunization Information System Policy & Standards Engagement

• Regularly attend and participate in key federal advisory meetings such as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) and other key Health IT and immunization related meetings, as needed. Use these forums to reinforce CDC IIS vision and priorities in collaboration with CDC. Strategically collaborate with existing and new organizations to inform local and federal policies so that they are aligned with the mission of IIS. Develop a strategy in collaboration with CDC for addressing policy-related topics impacting the IIS community.

Component 3 Improve Data Collection and Use align to 2 broad strategies and associated activities below.

Strategy 3.1 Establish Data Use Community of Practice

• Establish and maintain a Community of Practice focused on epidemiologic data analytics, visualization and reporting of immunization data, and a crowdsourced compilation of code for immunization epidemiologists and data analysts.

Strategy 3.2 Promote community collaboration to improve IIS data quality

• Support CDC with the development and dissemination of routine vaccination code utilized to generate summary immunization surveillance statistics.

• Support CDC with effort to provide additional analytic tool and support for improving IIS data quality, as needed.

• Support CDC in providing accompanying TA (upon request) for jurisdictions that need assistance with data quality improvement

Component 4 Workforce Development align to 3 broad strategies and associated activities below.

Strategy 4.1 Develop tools and resources to enhance IIS workforce recruitment and retention.

• Define and develop IIS specific role descriptions.

• Develop Immunization/IIS role curricula for all developed IIS specific role descriptions.

Strategy 4.2 Develop/maintain IIS-related competencies;

• Enhance and maintain IIS competency model.

• Complete IIS Staffing Analysis based on IIS Budget Template Staffing Data.

Strategy 4.3 Identify and disseminate best practices in workforce development.

• Enhance and maintain different tool kits that support development of knowledge, skills and abilities of IIS staff in activities that are not regularly performed.

Component 5 Education align to 5 broad strategies and associated activities below.

Strategy 5.1 Improve IIS Training Offerings

• Develop and implement training plan for On-boarding Shared Services.

• Develop and implement an interoperability training module.

Strategy 5.2 Improve IIS knowledge leveraging peer to peer forums

• Increase knowledge among IIS managers/and or IIS staff through peer-to-peer sharing.

Strategy 5.3 Develop informational webinars

• Create and implement informational webinars based on prioritized IIS topics.

Strategy 5.4 Enhance formal training leveraging online, in-person or peer-to-peer forums formats, and improve dissemination/awareness and use of the training

• Plan and implement on-line, in-person or peer-to-peer forums for the IIS community to learn and network and move forward national IIS priorities.

• Improve awareness and use of these formats.

Strategy 5.5 Educate IIS Workforce

• Develop and deliver IIS leadership workshop.

• Develop, /create, and implement IIS specific content learning modules.

• Maintain and update current set of IIS Specific learning modules.

• Develop and hold procurement webinars.

1. Collaborations Applicants should pursue strategic collaborations and partnerships with other groups that have a vested interest in improving the immunization technology and data ecosystem. Applicants are required to describe how they will collaborate with programs and organizations internal and external to CDC that align to the descriptions provided above.

a. With other CDC programs and CDC-funded organizations:

N/A

b. With organizations not funded by CDC:

Possible organizations include contracting organizations, National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), standards organizations (e.g., HL7), and other government agencies, such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

2. Population(s) of Focus

The target populations will vary depending on the jurisdictions' that benefit from the applicant’s support. This cooperative agreement should facilitate the modernization of IIS and improve the data quality and interoperability of IIS by building capacity in Immunization and IIS programs housed in jurisdictional public health departments. Applicants must describe the specific target population(s) they plan to support and explain how such a target will achieve the goals of the award and/or improve data quality and interoperability in IIS.

This NOFO, including funding and eligibility, is not limited based on, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy) or other constitutionally protected statuses.

a. Health Disparities The goal of health equity is for everyone to have a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Achieving this requires focused and ongoing societal efforts to address historical and contemporary injustices; overcome economic, social, and other obstacles to health and healthcare; and eliminate preventable health disparities.

Broadly defined, social determinants of health are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces (e.g., racism, climate) and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. See content below and in other sections (e.g., Approach, Collaborations, Populations of Focus) for information on how this specific NOFO affects social determinants of health.

A health disparity is a preventable difference in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by populations that have been socially, economically, geographically, and environmentally disadvantaged. Health disparities are inextricably linked to a complex blend of social determinants that influence which populations are most disproportionately affected by these diseases and conditions.

N/A

iv. Funding Strategy This NOFO contains 5 components and 19 strategies. The estimated funding range for each award is between $750,000- $3,100,000. Each applicant must select at least one component.

Applicants can also propose additional activities for consideration under each strategy. All activities including items proposed by applicants will be considered, but, due to funding limitations select activities may start in subsequent budget periods.

This NOFO contains 5 components and 19 strategies:

Components 1 (Advance Technology and Standards) strategies 1.1-1.5

Component 2 (Community Engagement and Support) strategies 2.1-2.4

Component 3 (Improve Data Collection and Use) strategies 3.1-3.2

Component 5 (Education) strategy 5.1,5.2, 5.4, 5.5

Each applicant must select at least one component. For each component selected, select at least one strategy and at least one activity within a strategy depending on the component selected.

Applicants must describe the technical approach and elaborate on the planned milestones for selected activity(s). Applicants have the option to suggest additional activities for each strategy they would like to be considered. Activities proposed by applicants must be identified in the project narrative along with the corresponding technical approach and milestones. All activities including items proposed by applicants will be considered for the cooperative agreement, but as additional funding becomes available, selected activities may start in subsequent budget periods of the cooperative agreement.

b. Evaluation and Performance Measurement

i. CDC Evaluation and Performance Strategy

IDAB will assess the degree to which strategies in the logic model have been implemented and outcomes…