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The Cost of Doing Business: Cost Structure of Electronic Immunization Registries
Author(s) -
Fontanesi John M,
Flesher Don S,
De Guire Michelle,
Lieberthal Allan,
Holcomb Kathy
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
health services research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.706
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1475-6773
pISSN - 0017-9124
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6773.10772
Subject(s) - immunization , cost database , cost effectiveness , medicine , operations management , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , database , engineering , antigen , immunology
Objective. To predict the true cost of developing and maintaining an electronic immunization registry, and to set the framework for developing future cost‐effective and cost‐benefit analysis. Data Sources/Study Setting. Primary data collected at three immunization registries located in California, accounting for 90 percent of all immunization records in registries in the state during the study period. Study Design. A parametric cost analysis compared registry development and maintenance expenditures to registry performance requirements. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. Data were collected at each registry through interviews, reviews of expenditure records, technical accomplishments development schedules, and immunization coverage rates. Principal Findings. The cost of building immunization registries is predictable and independent of the hardware/software combination employed. The effort requires four man‐years of technical effort or approximately $250,000 in 1998 dollars. Costs for maintaining a registry were approximately $5,100 per end user per three‐year period. Conclusions. There is a predictable cost structure for both developing and maintaining immunization registries. The cost structure can be used as a framework for examining the cost‐effectiveness and cost‐benefits of registries. The greatest factor effecting improvement in coverage rates was ongoing, user‐based administrative investment.