THE CHALLENGE
As COVID vaccines became more widely available in early 2021, the Johns Hopkins Department of Health, Safety and Environment faced a question: how do we create a system for tracking and verifying who has been vaccinated or exempted, and for managing compliance in a complex health system? The Johns Hopkins Office of Student Health and Well-being grappled with a similar problem. When vaccines became required for the student population, how could we convert the previously piecemeal and manual system for collecting vaccine information from admitted students into a single automated system for regular vaccine reporting?
THE OUTCOME
The Technology Innovation Center’s applied its expertise in enterprise platform development, human-centered design, and analytics to create the Vaccine Management System (VMS) which served nearly 86,000 active Johns Hopkins students, staff, and faculty who wished to return to campus work or study during the pandemic. Individuals upload and input vaccine or exception information. Health services and equity teams approve the documentation or request more information. Participants receive automated reminders when vaccine documentation is in review, approved, or late. The TIC Analytics team made visualizations for those overseeing vaccine compliance and exemptions.
