Approach A. Increasing the Use of Shared Services

Module 1	Introduction	Unit 1 IIS Sustainability Toolkit Introduction
Module 2	Getting Started	Unit 1 How to Use this Toolkit
Module 3	Defining IIS Sustainability	Unit 1 What is IIS Sustainability and Why Does it Matter?
Module 4	Strategy 1: Diversifying Funding	Unit 1 Diversifying Funding Introduction	Unit 2 Approach A. Leveraging Medicaid Match	Unit 3 Approach B. Billing for IIS Data
Module 5	Strategy 2: Optimizing IIS Efficiency	Unit 1 Optimizing IIS Efficiency Introduction	Unit 2 Approach A. Increasing the Use of Shared Services	Unit 3 Approach B: Leveraging Shared Infrastructure	Unit 4 Approach C: Using Open Source Software	Unit 5 Approach D. Implementing Process Automation	Unit 6 Approach E: Modernizing IIS
Module 6	Success Stories from the Field	Unit 1 Success Stories Introduction	Unit 2 Using Medicaid Match to Diversify IIS Funding	Unit 3 Diversifying IIS Funding Through Health Plan Billing	Unit 4 Slowing the Curve to Manage Rising IIS Costs
Module 7	Additional Considerations	Unit 1 Additional Considerations
Module 8	Additional Resources Related to Sustainability	Unit 1 Additional Resources
Module 9	References	Unit 1 References
Module 10	Abbreviations and Acronyms	Unit 1 Abbreviations and Acronyms

What are shared services?

Shared services refer to operational functions that are jointly used across programs, agencies, or jurisdictions rather than being developed and maintained independently. Services may be shared with IIS at the jurisdictional or national levels and can include not only technology and tools, but also staffing capacity. For example, IIS programs may partner with other parts of their agency or organization to share staff with epidemiologic, technical, informatics, or data analytics expertise that supports IIS activities.

Examples include:

Jurisdictional level

Health Information Exchange (HIE) services for promoting interoperability with providers to enable IIS query and reporting
Health department epidemiology staff analyzing and producing data for reporting vaccination-related data to partners and the public

National level

Smarty software for patient address verification available through the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA)
Aggregate Analysis Reporting Tool (AART) for improving compliance with IIS data standards and data quality available through AIRA as part of the IIS Measurement and Improvement (M&I) initiative
AIRA Provider Onboarding Templates include resources, tools, and a course on onboarding best practices
AIRA Onboarding Shared Services include resources, templates, and a provider organization for IIS onboarding course
Immunization Evaluation and Forecasting Engines (commercial and open source)
Privacy Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) software for record deduplication available through CDC

How can increasing use of shared services optimize IIS efficiency?

Instead of each program funding and managing its own services, costs are either distributed across multiple users or provided by national partners at no cost. This reduces duplication of effort, lowers overall operational expenses, and allows IIS programs to leverage existing expertise, infrastructure, tools, and staffing capacity rather than building and maintaining their own solutions. As a result, shared services can improve efficiency, increase scalability, and free up resources that can be redirected toward system improvements.

Looking for opportunities to share services?

Shared services can help IIS programs reduce duplication of effort, lower costs, and gain access to expertise that may be difficult to maintain internally. Use this worksheet to inventory current services, identify potential partners, and prioritize opportunities that could improve efficiency and long-term sustainability.

How can using shared services promote IIS sustainability?

Using shared services promotes IIS sustainability by reducing duplication of effort and distributing costs across multiple programs or partners, lowering overall operational expenses. By leveraging existing expertise, tools, and infrastructure, which are often provided at reduced or no cost, IIS programs can operate more efficiently and redirect limited resources toward long-term sustainability. It is important to note that while shared services can reduce overall costs, they may require some technical assistance through a vendor with associated costs for those vendor-provided services.