Zachary Polvino

Please see the latest Educational Snip from the Bureau of EMS Data and Informatics Team

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! Of note, the week of 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 are scene fields documented under NEMSIS 3.5? 

NYS has worked to decrease the amount of validation rules resulting in failures; however, scene fields are vital for accurate documentation and system assessment. The DI unit has noticed many validation failures due to the Incident City field. This snip describes the scene fields that are required. 

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

Incident Location Type (eScene.09) 

This field is required by NYS for ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rule 2622). The list of location types is below.  

• Private residence 
• Nursing home 
• Public area (not otherwise specified) 
• Street/road/highway 
• Urgent care 
• Hospital  
• Doctor’s office 
• Apartment/condo 
• Industrial/construction area 
• Institutional residence 
• Other private residence 
• Other, (not otherwise specified) 
• Parking lot 
• Place of business, (not otherwise specified) 
• Restaurant/cafe 
• School 
• Sidewalk 
• Sports area 
• Warehouse 
• Daycare 
• Abandoned house 
• Airport 
• Military installation 
• Mobile home 
• Other ambulatory care 
• Recreational area, (not otherwise specified) 
• Clubhouse 
• Gym 
• Prison/jail 
• Store 
• Public building 
• Park  
• Religious institution 
• School dorm 
• Pool 

Incident Facility Code (eScene.10) 

This field is required by NYS for ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rule 2835). Each facility name/label might appear different based on your software vendor, or your agencies needs. NYS has required codes for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that are required for care transported to or from one of these facility types. 

Incident Street Address (eScene.15) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2623, 2624, 2625, 2626). Not values are not accepted for this field. If the secondary address is filled out without the primary address line being completed, the validation will fail.  

Incident City (eScene.17) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2627, 2628) when a unit responding to scene time is documented. Not values are not accepted.  

Incident State (eScene.18) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2727, 2728) when a unit responding to scene time is documented. Not values are not accepted.  

Incident Zip (eScene.19) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2629, 2630). Not values are not accepted.  

Incident County (eScene.21) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2631, 2632). Not values are not accepted. 

Incident Country (eScene.22) 

This field is required by NYS for BLSFR and ALSFR/Transporting agencies (validation rules 2725, 2726). Not values are not accepted.