Technological Solutions for Vaccine Credentialing Critical to Nation’s Progress

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination has become, it’s an understatement to say, a political hot button issue across the country.  Nonetheless, as more private employers insist that their workforces be vaccinated and schools across the country reopen for in-person learning, vaccination credential are going to be increasingly viewed as vital to protecting public safety.

As Politico and other news outlets reported last week, the electronic health records company Epic (a Healthcare Leadership Council member) is in the process of implementing a technological solution that will give tens of millions of Americans the ability to easily carry their coronavirus testing and vaccination status with them through a smartphone app or printed document.

People with Epic’s MyChart phone app will be able to keep that testing and vaccination data stored on their smartphone and, if they don’t have a smartphone, they will be able to print out a QR code that will provide access to that information.  If a person doesn’t have their vaccination status stored in their medical record, MyChart can pull that data from a state registry. Right now, about 40 health systems with 17 million active MyChart users have access to this solution.

There has been considerable progress in this area from private sector health data companies.  Change Healthcare (also a Healthcare Leadership Council member) introduced a no-fee, privacy-protecting portable Vaccination Record that provides a security-enabled and durable record of vaccinations and allows consumers to easily see, save and share their vaccination record whenever the need arises.

Controversies aside, getting this country back to normal requires not only widespread vaccinations for COVID-19, but also documentation of vaccination in order to protect public safety.  The private sector is swiftly and effectively answering this need for consumer-friendly solutions.