California EMS Information System (CEMSIS)

CEMSIS first started as a demonstration project for improving EMS data across California. Today, CEMSIS is a statewide database that offers a secure, centralized data system for collecting data about individual emergency medical service requests, patients treated at hospitals, and EMS provider organizations. CEMSIS uses the universal standard for how patient care information resulting from an emergency 9-1-1 call for assistance is collected called the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS). Health and Safety Code, Section 1797.227 requires the most current version of NEMSIS to be used to collect EMS data. The current version of NEMSIS is v3.5.

What can CEMSIS do today?

CEMSIS data is used to study variations in local data quality and local capacity for health information exchange. When fully operational with 100% LEMSA and local participation, it is estimated that CEMSIS will catalogue over 5 million EMS events per year. EMSA will use the data to develop and coordinate high quality emergency medical care in California through activities such as:

• Healthcare quality programs which monitor patient care outcomes
• Agency collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries
• Local, regional, and state-level public health surveillance
• Increased public awareness of emergency medical services in California