QR codes on vaccines help collect EHR data, reduce errors

That suddenly ubiquitous square of blocks and splotches seen on advertisements, magazines, and even the sides of vans and trucks might be the key to collecting error-free vaccination data, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says. 2D bar codes, also known as QR codes, placed on vaccine products helped providers automatically upload patient data to the EHR and added vaccination data to the provider’s state immunization registry without the risk of manual data entry errors or incomplete information. The CDC conducted a pilot of the program from 2011 until 2013, and found that accuracy of data collection was greatly improved when 2D barcodes were used instead of the current system, which often involves handwritten lot numbers which can be misread or inaccurately transcribed. “Even if the information is typed into electronic medical records or immunization information systems, there can still be errors,” the CDC explains. “The vaccine data...