St. Louis Integrated Immunization Information System.

The immunization rate for St. Louis- Missouri- children age two and younger is only 49 percent- below the statewide rate of 64 percent and far below the estimated national rate of 75 percent. In response to this crisis- the St. Louis Integrated Immunization Information System (SLIIIS) was designed to establish an on-line immunization information system- identify barriers to immunization among health care providers and the client population- and implement methods for removing these barriers. Available to both public and private health care providers- SLIIIS uses a population-based approach to monitoring and improving immunization levels in the Eastern Missouri Region. SLIIIS was initiated by a partnership of an academic center with community agencies and institutions. Review of initial development efforts and system design may be valuable to others involved in creating regionally integrated information systems.