California EMS Information System (CEMSIS)
The California Emergency Medical Services Information System (CEMSIS) is a demonstration project for improving EMS data across California. CEMSIS 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.
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
NEMSIS
NEMSIS
Press Release: California is the First State to Transmit EMS Data to National Database (pdf) To improve local data quality and prepare California EMS for health information exchange, EMSA and local agencies adopted new data standards known as NEMSIS Version 3. The NEMSIS Version 3.4 data standards provide a set of tools that EMS professionals can use to integrate EMS patient care data with electronic medical records at hospitals. This will allow EMS providers, hospitals, and government agencies to exchange patient information securely and in real time – leading to better patient outcomes and a smarter system of care The current version of NEMSIS is version 3.4 effective January 1, 2017.
CEMSIS Participation
There are a total of 34 LEMSAs within the State of California. Of those 34 LEMSAs, 33 voluntarily submit data into CEMSIS. There are two different statuses:
- LEMSAs who participate and submit some form of v3.4 data into CEMSIS, and
- LEMSAs who are currently in the testing stage to submit v3.4 data into CEMSIS
LEMSAs Participating | Quarter Started and Year |
Alameda County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Central California EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Coastal Valleys EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Contra Costa County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
El Dorado County EMS Agency | Fourth Quarter of 2017 |
Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Imperial County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2019 |
Kern County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
Marin County EMS Agency | Third Quarter of 2018 |
Merced County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2018 |
Monterey County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
Mountain Valley EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Napa County EMS Agency | Third Quarter of 2017 |
North Coast EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Northern California EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Orange County EMS Agency | Third Quarter of 2017 |
Riverside County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
Sacramento County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Santa Barbara County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2018 |
San Benito County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
San Diego County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2018 |
San Francisco County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
San Joaquin County EMS Agency | Third Quarter of 2017 |
San Luis Obispo County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
San Mateo County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2018 |
Santa Clara County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
Santa Cruz County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2017 |
Sierra-Sacramento Valley EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Solano County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2018 |
Stanislaus County EMS Agency | Third Quarter of 2022 |
Tuolumne County EMS Agency | Second Quarter of 2018 |
Ventura County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
Yolo County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2017 |
LEMSAs Testing | Start Date |
Los Angeles County EMS Agency | First Quarter of 2019 |
CEMSIS Update - Questions and Answers
CEMSIS and NEMSIS Resources
The CEMSIS value lists are resources for provider agencies and LEMSAs. The Executive Data Advisory Group helped shaped the California specific pick lists for Cause of Injury, Symptoms, Provider Primary and Secondary Impression and Location Type.
- CEMSIS Value Lists:
- 201 – CEMSIS Provider Agency List (xlsx): Updated 7/13/2023
- 203 – CEMSIS Facility List
- 209 – CEMSIS Cause of Injury List (xlsx): Updated 08/22/2016
- 210 – CEMSIS Symptom List (xlsx): Updated 08/22/2016
- 211 – CEMSIS Provider Primary and Secondary Impression List (xlsx): Updated 4/1/2020
- 213 – CEMSIS Location Type List (xlsx): Updated 08/22/2016
Grant Funding
Documents
- 2/22/2023: CEMSIS Update Memo (pdf)
- 10/8/2019: CEMSIS Standards (pdf)
- 7/18/2017: Adoption of Data De-Identification Guidelines by the EMS Authority (pdf)
- 6/27/2016: NEMSIS 3.4 Transition Webinar (pdf)
- 6/2/2016: EMSA Strategy for Data Collection, Evaluation, and Quality (pdf)
- 1/5/2016: New State EMS Data System Requirements (pdf)
- 2/26/2014: Local EMS Agency HIPAA Responsibilities (pdf)
Data Use Agreement: