H1N1 swine flu vaccine consent forms for Maryland Department of Health processed by Quality Associates

Quality Associates, Inc. (QAI) www.qualityassociatesinc.com, an established provider of services and solutions for large-scale document management, imaging, and archiving, announced it is processing H1N1 swine flu vaccine consent forms on behalf of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Starting immediately, Quality Associates is converting thousands of one-page handwritten forms in both English and Spanish into searchable, accurate, and accessible digital electronic files for use by state health officials.

Quality Associates expects to process more than 1.5 million consent forms collected from across the state. The project is scheduled for completion in spring 2010.

Quality Associates is employing a four-step process to perform the work. First, the company consulted with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to understand their requirements and the scope of the project. The company then worked with state officials to design a streamlined, easy-to-use form for each vaccine recipient to fill out prior to receiving the inoculation. Quality Associates is now processing the forms and performing vital quality assurance steps to ensure data accuracy. In addition, Quality Associates will provide the digital files and original hard-copy paper forms to the state. The data captured on each form includes details as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State of Maryland.

Scott Swidersky, director, Information Systems, Quality Associates, Inc., said, “The arrival of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine has long been anticipated, but few states and municipalities are actually prepared to handle the accompanying flood of paperwork that will quickly pile up as the vaccine is administered. They will soon be dealing with thousands upon thousands of handwritten forms that will continue to accumulate for the duration of the flu season. The state of Maryland is taking the lead and has already proactively found a solution to this impending paperwork crisis by partnering with a firm with extensive experience in handling and digitizing the forms used during mass immunizations.”