FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN THE USE OF EMS DATA In January 2016, the Office of the National Coordinator awarded the first EMS-HIT grant to the California EMS Authority to develop a SEARCH, ALERT, FILE, RECONCILE (SAFR) information exchange to serve three EMS agencies, their hospitals, and emergency ambulance providers. San Diego Health Connect and One California Partnership Regional Health Information, two health Information exchanges (HIE), will develop SAFR functionality for EMS providers including the ability to: SEARCH patients via an EMS Hub linked to the HIE by sending patient demographic data for patient matching. The HIE will return pertinent patient information from a continuity of care document that contains a patient problem list, medications, allergies and advanced directives. ALERT receiving hospitals by transmitting prehospital clinical information (demographics, clinical impressions, vital signs and treatment) for display on hospital dashboards tracking incoming patients. FILE the completed patient record containing EMS patient data into the hospital electronic health record (EHR) in a searchable format to build a longitudinal patient record.
EMS Agencies through the development of more Technical Assistance Centers (TACs) or support additional training to increase computer or technological literacy of frontline providers. TACs should periodically issue reports on the progress of data systems enhancements to advise EMS agencies, state and federal legislators, hospitals, social services providers, and other stakeholders on the progress, barriers, and needed next steps to achieve greater utility from EMS data systems. The work of the TACs in improving IT capabilities could well be considered critical infrastructure for emergency preparedness. The ability to track and identify patients over multiple encounters is a much needed enhancement that could improve the care EMS provides to patients. Having a single patient record across encounters would facilitate integration with hospitals, primary care groups, health information exchanges, and possibly between EMS agencies. This improved data integration would benefit patients in the form of improved quality and patient safety, and benefit the providers through efficiency gains. EMS leaders at all levels can help drive this transition through exerting market influence to expect and demand this capability as a prerequisite to purchase or implementation. Beyond having each single agency maintaining a longitudinal record, a goal for the EMS industry and healthcare at large is the creation of unique patient identifiers that transcend individual record systems. Associated with this vision is a transformative change in the ownership of data away from proprietary softwares or health care entities and into the hands of patients. LONGITUDINAL RECORD KEEPING & UNIVERSAL DATA
FILE the completed patient record containing EMS patient data into the hospital electronic health record (EHR) in a searchable format to build a longitudinal patient record.
RECONCILE the EHR after the patient has been discharged from the ED or hospital, incorporating the patient’s disposition and hospital outcome obtained from the hospital EHR.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy oversees the federal My Data Initiative to increase
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MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
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