Rob McCartin

Greetings Everyone,

The weekly data snippet for this week

NYS NEMSIS 3.5.0 | Educational Snip #2024-009 

The 2024 Vital Signs EMS Conference is taking place in Rochester from October 16^th to the 20^th.  Register here and stop by our booth to say hi! Next week, due to the conference, the DI Unit will not be sending an educational snip. 

The Data and Informatics (DI) Unit at the Bureau of EMS & Trauma Systems is sending weekly Educational Snips highlighting various NEMSIS fields. Our goal is to help providers reduce documentation errors and warnings requiring adjustment throughout documentation. Each Educational Snip will start with a question, an outline of various fields, and elements (answers) within those fields. We are providing the NEMSIS named elements; the ePCR software used by your EMS agency might look different, and you should have custom values selected by the Department of Health available to you. If you have questions about specific documentation scenarios or if you would like clarification on particular data elements, please reach out to your organization’s leadership, Regional Program Agencies, or the DI Unit.   

EMS agencies credentialed by New York State are now submitting ePCRs that adhere to the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) 3.5 documentation standard. NEMSIS establishes a minimum documentation standard that requires fields that must be completed on an ePCR and NYS further defines these requirements to meet minimal additional requirements. Standardized documentation improves quality documentation. Measuring provider effectiveness, system efficiency, and patient outcomes is paramount to the success of EMS organizations across New York State.  

Q: How have medication fields changed under NEMSIS 3.5? 

Some element names and descriptions were changed. Response values were added/removed from three fields and 2009 standard names were removed.  

Note: all fields are named by NEMSIS with the Field Name (Field Identifier) (e.g. EMS Agency Number (eResponse.01)) 

Medication Administered (eMedications.03, BLSFR 2472 ALFR & Transporting 2473) 

This is a required field when a medication is administered. The list of medications has been updated to include codes for blood products. The inclusive list can be found here. Pertinent negatives are also available for this field including:  

• Contraindication noted 
• Denied by order 
• Medication allergy 
• Medication already taken 
• Refused 
• Unable to complete 
• Order criteria not met 

Medication Administered Route (eMedications.04, BLSFR 2474 ALSFR & Transporting 2475) 

This is a required field when a medication is administered. The list was updated to enhance accuracy of documentation:  

Medication Dosage Units (eMedications.06, BLSFR 2555 ALSFR & Transporting 2556)  

This field is required when a medication is administered. Values have been removed and added to the list to enhance accuracy:  

Role/Type of Person Administering Medication (eMedications.10, BLSFR 2735 ALSFR & Transporting 2736)

 This field is required when a medication is administered. The list of roles has been updated to be more reflective of current State needs. The “2009” standard names have been removed.