On Oct. 1, 2014, the National Emergency Medical Services Information System Technical Advisory Committee (NEMSIS TAC) announced that California was the first state to successfully transmit NEMSIS Version 3 EMS data to the national repository using field and state-level software “certified compliant” with the NEMSIS V3 standard. The California Emergency Medical Services Authority received grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety to assist in the transformation of California’s data system to adopt the NEMSIS Version 3 standard. Through the EMS Authority’s partnership with the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA), test data from software vendors Beyond Lucid, Source Code 3 and ImageTrend was sent to NEMSIS in the Version 3 format. Beyond Lucid, Source Code 3 and ImageTrend had all previously passed NEMSIS Version 3 compliance testing.
“This is an incredible accomplishment for the California local EMS agencies and the state EMS Authority. This was possible because of the commitment to and vision for its potential value from the Office of Traffic Safety, our local EMS agency partners, software developers and providers. The migration to NEMSIS Version 3 will enhance our ability to evaluate our EMS systems, develop quality measures, and integrate with other data sources, including hospital electronic medical records. I want to thank all those who contributed to this success,” stated Dr. Howard Backer, director of EMSA.
Next week, the California EMS Authority will host the 2nd Annual Health Information Exchange (HIE) Summit for EMS, Nov. 17-19, 2014 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel. After last year’s successful summit, this year will feature speakers representing Federal, State and local agencies. Perspectives from private and public EMS transport agencies will also be offered. See below for scheduled speakers and themes for discussion.
Speakers: November 18
Theme: National & State Vision for HIE
- Howard Backer, MD, MPH, FACEP, Director, California Emergency Medical Services Authority
- Richard C. Hunt, MD, FACEP, Director for Medical Preparedness Policy, National Security Council Staff
- Bryan Sivak, Chief Technology Officer, Office of the National Coordinator
- Scott Afzal, Audacious Inquiry
- N. Clay Mann, PhD, MS, NEMSIS P.I., University of Utah
- Susan McHenry, National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration and Emergency Medical Services
- Dan Chavez, Executive Director, San Diego Health Connect
Speakers: November 19
Theme: Regional & State Perspectives for HIE
- Pam Lane, MS, RHIA, CPHIMS Deputy Secretary for Health Information at the California Health and Human Services Agency & Director of the Office of Health Information Integrity
- BJ Bartelson , RN, MS, NEA-BC, Vice President, Nursing and Clinical Services, California Hospital Association
- Lee Stevens, Office of the National Coordinator
- Kirk Schmitt, EMS Director, Monterey County EMS Agency
- Tom Lynch, EMS Administrator, Inland Counties EMS Agency
- Dave Minch, President & COO, HealthShare Bay Area
- Robert “Rim” Cothren, PhD, Technical Director at California Health eQuality (CHeQ)
- Laurent Repass, EMS Specialist, Orange County EMS Agency
