EMS regulations require every licensed Virginia EMS agency to submit patient care records with the required minimum dataset on a schedule established by the Virginia Office of EMS (OEMS), as authorized in §32.1-116.1 of the Code of Virginia. The OEMS uses this data to generate an EMS Data Quality Report each month. This report is posted on the OEMS website (below), and is provided to the OEMS Director, the OEMS Division of Regulation and Compliance Enforcement, the OEMS Rescue Squad Assistance Fund grants program, and all Virginia EMS agency superusers, as well as other local, state, and national stakeholders.
Report Methodology
The data quality report provides the following information:
- EMS Agency number: the license number assigned by the OEMS Division of Regulation, Compliance, and Enforcement
- EMS Agency name: the agency name as it appears on the EMS agency’s license on file with the OEMS Division of Regulation, Compliance, and Enforcement
- Region: the name of the Regional Council in which the agency’s headquarters is located
- NEMSIS version: the NEMSIS version used to report the data
- Of note, the NEMSIS version field is only shown in reports for the months that Virginia EMS agencies are transitioning from NEMSIS v3.4 to NEMSIS v3.5. During a single month, an agency may show data submitted using both NEMSIS versions. This is expected, as agencies typically move from v3.4 to v3.5 mid-month. Should an agency find they are submitting both versions beyond a single month, agencies should contact their EMS software vendor to determine why this is occurring.
- Records Submitted: the total number of records an agency submitted to the Virginia EMS data repository for processing for the month of the report (excluding records with a pending or blank submission status)
- Records Failed: the total number of records that failed validation/Schematron requirements and did not process into the Virginia EMS data repository for the month of the report
- Records Passed: the total number of records that did not fail validation/Schematron requirements and did process into the Virginia EMS data repository for the month of the report
- Software Vendor: the EMS software vendor the agency uses to submit data to the Virginia EMS data repository
- Data Quality:
†For guidance on the approved method, please contact OEMS support at oems-appsupport@vdh.virginia.gov
‡EMS agencies listed on a report as “Failed to Submit” are encouraged to contact OEMS support at oems-appsupport@vdh.virginia.gov to come up with solutions for your agency.
OEMS support is committed to working with all EMS agencies and EMS software vendors on data quality-related issues. Our goal is to identify ways to improve data quality with minimal impact on EMS agencies, while at the same time participating in statewide and national data research projects. If there are validation issues EMS software vendors cannot help their customers (i.e., EMS agencies) resolve, the agency and vendor should reach out to OEMS support at oems-appsupport@vdh.virginia.gov for assistance.
For any questions regarding data quality, data submissions, or this webpage, please contact OEMS Support at oems-appsupport@vdh.virginia.gov .