Spring 2009

Enroll in Florida SHOTS today!

The Florida SHOTS^TM program and registry is one way physicians can help advance the health of Florida’s youngest citizens—the children in our state. A secure, centralized database for immunization records, the Florida SHOTS registry is easy to access and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program safeguards immunization records and can prevent duplicate vaccinations. The Department of Health reports that more than 22.5 million immunization records have been added to the registry via data upload through February 2009.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) began uploading records from its database to Florida SHOTS in February 2008. A significant number of primary care physicians in our networks use the registry, and our Recognizing Physician Excellence (RPE) program encourages its use by rewarding points to those physicians who enter or retrieve data from the website.

Physicians enrolled in the Florida SHOTS program receive reminders about patients who need immunizations, and the registry provides a central database for their patients’ immunization history. This can be especially helpful when physicians are asked to complete shot records (DH 680) for school, camp and day care center attendance.

The registry also can be used to monitor immunization rates, helping to ensure members receive the proper immunizations in a timely manner, prevent health care risks, contribute to healthier lives and lower health care costs in the future.

Florida SHOTS enrollment is fast, easy and free! If your office has Internet access and a current Florida medical license, you can be using Florida SHOTS within the week. Apply online at www.flshots.com.

Or access Florida SHOTS through a direct link from the Availity^®1 Health Information Network.