AB 1797 Immunization Registry FAQs 

Please check back often for additional FAQs. 

1.  What is AB 1797 and when does it go into effect?

Governor Newsom has signed AB 1797, a bill authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, MD to update the current immunization registry statute, Health and Safety Code Section 120440. With the passage of AB 1797, California healthcare providers who administer vaccines will be required to enter:

• Immunization information into the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) OR Healthy Futures/RIDE.
• Race and ethnicity information for each patient in the immunization registry to support assessment of health disparities in immunization coverage.

AB 1797 is effective January 1, 2023.

Learn more about AB 1797 (PDF) and how CAIR can help your practice.

2.  Am I required to submit all administered vaccines to the California immunization registry (CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE)?

Yes, under Health and Safety Code 120440, recently amended by AB 1797, all administered vaccines are required to be submitted.

4.  Our practice does not currently participate in an immunization registry. What can we do as an immunizing provider to prepare for this requirement?

For more information about CAIR or to start the enrollment process, visit the CAIR website. 

Providers in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties will need to enroll in Healthy Futures/RIDE. For assistance, contact the Healthy Futures/RIDE Help Desk at (209) 468-2292 or support@myhealthyfutures.org.

5.  Our practice is enrolled in an immunization registry but does not currently submit data. What can we do as an immunizing provider to prepare for this requirement?

The CAIR Team is here to support you along the way. Contact the CAIR Help Desk (CAIRHelpdesk@cdph.ca.gov or 800-578-7889) or your Local CAIR Representative with any questions. For more information about CAIR, visit the CAIR website. 

Providers in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties will need to submit data to Healthy Futures/RIDE. For assistance, contact the Healthy Futures/RIDE Help Desk at (209) 468-2292 or support@myhealthyfutures.org.

6.  I am not sure if my practice is already participating in an immunization registry. What should I do?

Contact the CAIR Help Desk (CAIRHelpdesk@cdph.ca.gov or 800-578-7889) or your Local CAIR Representative with any questions or if you want to find out whether your practice is already participating in CAIR.

Providers in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties will need to contact the Healthy Futures/RIDE Help Desk at (209) 468-2292 or support@myhealthyfutures.org.

7.  How do I submit doses administered in the past (historical vaccinations)? ​

Historical vaccinations are either vaccinations given by your site in the past (that have not been added to CAIR as new immunizations) or those given by another provider that were never added to CAIR (i.e., are on the patient's Yellow Card, but are not in CAIR).

To submit historical vaccinations through data exchange (DX), please work with your EHR vendor support and a CAIR Data Exchange Specialist (CAIRDataExchange@cdph.ca.gov) to discuss submission options. 

To manually enter historical vaccines, consult the CAIR2 Guide to Adding Historical Immunizations (PDF) or view the Adding Historical Immunizations video.

There are important benefits to submitting historical doses for your patients to CAIR. Having complete patient records in CAIR is essential to ensuring future vaccine recommendations are accurate. As more immunization data is submitted to CAIR and patient records become more complete, more people will access their immunization records through the Digital Vaccine Record (DVR) portal. This will help reduce requests from your patients for their immunization records.

Providers in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties will need to report historical vaccinations to Healthy Futures/RIDE. For assistance, contact the Healthy Futures/RIDE Help Desk at (209) 468-2292 or support@myhealthyfutures.org.​

8.  Even if I enroll in CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE by January 1^st, it may take time to obtain user accounts, have my staff trained and/or get my EHR connected to a registry.  Will there be a grace period for entering doses into a registry?

CDPH expects providers to start reporting to CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE as soon as all the necessary steps are completed. Please refer to FAQ #7 as to how to submit historical data. CAIR and Healthy Futures/RIDE staff will work with providers to help them start reporting doses as quickly as possible.

9.  If I am a VFC provider, what will happen if I do not enter doses into CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE starting January 1, 2023? 

VFC providers will be asked for their CAIR ID or Healthy Futures/RIDE ID during recertification for 2023 and will be contacted if they do not have IDs. For continued non-compliance with registering or entering doses into a registry, providers may be no longer able to order VFC vaccines.

10.  My organization uses data exchange (DX) to submit doses administered to CAIR. How do I make sure doses are being submitted correctly?

If your organization uses data exchange (DX), CAIR requires that you set up at least one staff with a Data Exchange Quality Assurance (DX QA) user role in CAIR. The DX QA user role allows access to the CAIR 'Check Status' page for monitoring data submissions and data quality (PDF). Providers can also run a Doses Administered Report (PDF) to verify that doses administered are being accurately recorded in the registry. For more information, visit the Data Exchange Monitoring Resources section on the CAIR2 User Guides webpage.

11.  How do I address patient concerns regarding privacy?

Explain to them that CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE is safe and private. By law, it can be used only by authorized people in their medical office or health plan. In addition, schools, childcare centers, WIC programs, foster care agencies, and other programs can be authorized to look up shot records—but only for the children they serve. The registry can only be used to check shot records, see what shots are due, and see how many children need shots.

Let patients know that you are required by law to inform them before their information is added to CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE. Provide a copy of the Immunization Registry Notice to Patients and Parents (this is the 'Disclosure Form' – they do not have to sign it) for them to read.

If patients would prefer to prevent their immunization record from being shared with other CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE providers, they must download, complete, and FAX the Decline to Share or Start Sharing Immunization Information Request (Lock/Unlock) forms to the CAIR Help Desk at 1-888-436-8320. See CAIR FAQs for more information.

12.  How soon after vaccine administration should I enter doses into CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE?

Entering doses into a registry on the same day is beneficial (and in some cases a requirement) for providers, staff, and patients. If doses are entered on the same day as administration, it makes entry of doses and inventory management easier. Same day entry of doses into CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE also helps patients quickly show proof of coverage to meet school or work vaccination requirements.

13.  If I am already enrolled in Healthy Futures/RIDE, do I also need to enroll in CAIR?

If you are a provider in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, or Tuolumne counties, being enrolled and reporting doses administered to Healthy Futures/RIDE will meet this requirement. You do NOT also have to enroll in CAIR.

14.  What do I do if our clinical team forgot to capture a patient's race and/or ethnicity during an immunization visit?

Remind clinical staff that providers are now required to report race/ethnicity data - make sure to ask at the next patient visit. Ensure that your practice has clear protocols to incorporate this step into your workflow.

15.  What if a patient declines to tell me their race and/or ethnicity? How do I report that declination if I am using: CAIR Data Exchange (DX), Manual entry into CAIR, MyTurn, or CAIR Mass Vax Module? 

Please explain that this information is being requested to help improve immunization access for all children. Please select "Prefer not to say" if the race/ethnicity question was asked and not answered. If you submit doses via data exchange, please share the HL7 code (PDF) for "Prefer not to say" with your EHR vendors to update.

16.  Must providers report administration of immune globulins (e.g., HBIG) or BCG vaccine as an immunotherapy agent?

No, administration of immune globulins and BCG vaccine as an immunotherapy agent are not required to be reported to a California immunization registry (CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE).

17.  Where can I get more information?

For more information about CAIR, visit the CAIR website.  

General Public

18.  How does AB1797 affect me? 

In an effort to better address health equity, AB 1797 passed to require immunizing providers to collect all patients' race and ethnicity. When you or your children get an immunization, the doctor, pharmacist, or nurse is required to ask about your race and ethnicity. This information will be entered into the California Immunization Registry (CAIR) or Healthy Futures/RIDE and will help public health officials better understand immunization coverage across all races and ethnicities. If you prefer not to share this information, however, you have the option of asking the provider to select the "prefer not to say" field.

19.  May I get a copy of my vaccine records from the Digital Vaccine Record portal (DVR)?

Yes, you can access your COVID-19 Vaccine Record (with QR code) or your California Immunization Record from the DVR portal.  For more information, please visit the DVR FAQs.

20.  What if my digital vaccine records are incomplete or incorrect?

It is possible that vaccine doses you received prior to 2023 have not yet been reported to the California Immunization Registry (CAIR), resulting in your current Digital Vaccine Record being incomplete. This new reporting requirement will improve the completeness of CAIR over the future.

If information on your Digital Vaccine Record is incorrect (e.g., missing dose, wrong dates, or incorrect brand), you may need to request review of your vaccination record. Contact your provider to update your record or submit a request through the Virtual Assistant. You will be notified of findings and follow-up actions, generally within a week.

If you were vaccinated outside of California, you may request that your California provider submit your doses to CAIR. You may upload vaccine records as proof of vaccination to the Virtual Assistant to help in our review of your vaccination record. For COVID-19 vaccines, you may upload a copy of your CDC card.​​

Schools

21.  How does this requirement impact our school/childcare?

This requirement will ultimately have a positive impact on schools and childcare settings because it will mean that immunization records will become increasingly complete in CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE. This will make it easier for schools to obtain complete immunization records of students and determine their school/childcare enrollment eligibility. This also includes Schools using the School and Child Care Roster Lookup (SCRL) tool from the CAIR Hub site.

Schools whose governing boards require COVID-19 vaccination for attendance will also be able to use CAIR to assess COVID-19 vaccination status.

22.  How do I address parents' concerns about privacy?

Explain to them that CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE is safe and private. By law, it can be used only by authorized people in their medical office or health plan. In addition, schools, childcare centers, WIC programs, foster care agencies, and other programs can be authorized to look up shot records—but only for the children they serve. The registry can only be used to check shot records, see what shots are due, and see how many children need shots.

Let them know that by law, parents must be informed before their children's information is added to CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE. They must be provided with a copy of the Immunization Registry Notice to Patients and Parents (the 'Disclosure Form' – they do not have to sign it) to read.

If parents would prefer to prevent their child's immunization record from being shared with other CAIR or Healthy Futures/RIDE providers, they must download, complete, and FAX the Decline to Share or Start Sharing Immunization Information Request (Lock/Unlock) forms to the CAIR Help Desk at 1-888-436-8320. See CAIR FAQs for more information.