As the new year begins, most states are preparing to, or already have, released their National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) v3.5 revision implementation and transition plans. Here are the most important things your EMS agency should know about this newest update to the standard.
NEMSIS is funded by NHTSA (DOT) and is the national standard with certification for collecting EMS data through ePCR software and sending EMS data to the state. Data is received by the state and forwarded to the national database.
NEMSIS version 3.5 is designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of documentation, enhance health information exchange, and ultimately improve patient care. The v3.5 standard facilitates vital evidence-based healthcare practices and partnerships.
NEMSIS v3.5 is the latest revision from v3.4. The biggest changes in NEMSIS v3.5 include:
Read more about the key changes in v3.5 here.
The time it takes to transition from NEMSIS v3.4 to v3.5 will vary by state. As of December 30, 2022, Colorado, Kansas, Arizona, Washington, Louisiana, Oregon, and South Dakota began accepting electronic Patient Care Records (ePCR) per the v3.5 update (in addition to v3.4). The next wave of states expected to mandate v3.5 are Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut, Alabama, and Florida.
Ultimately, NEMSIS v3.4 will stop accepting EMS data in January 2024 — meaning all states must transition to v3.5 by this date.
NEMSIS’s purpose is to maintain a national repository of ePCR data for reporting and research. Only NEMSIS-compliant software solutions are permitted to contribute to the national EMS repository. Untested software isn’t allowed for obvious reasons—a deviation from the standards can increase variability and quickly degrade the integrity and accuracy of the data.
Your PCR software does need to be NEMSIS v3.5 certified to ensure local EMS agency data and state and national repositories remain harmonized. States can revoke an EMS agency’s license when it doesn’t submit NEMSIS data to the state.
Note that once an EMS agency starts submitting data with NEMSIS v3.5, the agency typically can’t revert to v3.4.
The good news for customers using RescueNet® ePCR 6.7 and ZOLL emsCharts® is that both are NEMSIS v3.5 certified to “Collect Data.” This means these products are tested and approved for field-level EMS providers to use to collect demographics and patient care reports:
Other Resources: