Bringing patient data to the frontline: Why interoperability must include EMS

You arrive at the scene and find a patient struggling to breathe. They were speechless, had no family members present, and no one knew their medical history. What medications are they using? Do they have life-threatening allergies? Are they diabetes, asthma or recovering from surgery?

EMS providers face a situation that requires them to make split decisions without access to information that hospital staff often take for granted. Until recently, this was just the essence of pre-hospital care. However, emerging national interoperability networks are beginning to change this.

Insufficient EMS data

Emergency personnel are often the first clinical contact in the patient’s journey of care, but for decades they have not been able to obtain the patient’s medical records. Without important data, providers must rely on intuition and limited clues, resulting in potential treatment delays and even errors.

A 2023 study published in the pre-hospital emergency room found that 11% of EMS calls experienced delays, with nearly half of the on-site occurrences. Although factors such as flow and logistics play a role, the lack of ready-to-use patient data can exacerbate time-critical situations.

Hospitals, clinics and emergency care centers have long benefited from electronic health records (EHR) and health information exchange (HIES). Now, the national program is working to expand to opportunities for those who need it the most.

What's Change: Qhins and Tefca

The Federal Trust Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) is helping to create a nationwide baseline for health data exchange. At the center of this work is the Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), which act as a central connection between healthcare providers, systems and networks. In December 2023, the Office of the National Health IT Coordinator (ONC) designated the first set of official QHINs under Tefca, including Carequality and Ehealth Exchange.

These developments have a huge impact on EMS. With the right tools and integrations, field providers can now query the national network to access patient medication lists, allergy information and medical history – usually directly on site.

Why is this important on site

Imagine that an EMS provider is treating an unconscious patient. With secure access to the national data sharing network, they can now scan patients’ driver’s licenses or enter basic demographics to retrieve relevant health data. This information can guide treatment decisions, avoid dangerous drug interactions, and improve the accuracy of documents sent to hospitals.

Real-time access to patient records also benefits hospital partners. When EMS data are pre-filled with accurate drug and disease lists, hospitals will get better handovers and more complete records, thus contributing to better outcomes and reducing redundancy in care.

Integration Pathway

For many EMS agencies, starting with real-time patient data access means working with technology providers that are part of care or other national frameworks. It also requires basic training on the provider’s secure internet access, updated documentation systems, and how to responsibly query, review and use data.

It is important to emphasize that this shift is not about adding new tasks to an already overwhelmed EMS crew. Instead, it’s about removing the barriers to the information needed, which makes care faster, safer, and more consistent with the wider healthcare system.

It's already happening. According to the latest data from the National Emergency Medical Service Information System (NEMSIS), more than 1.2 million EMS patients records include hospital outcome data in 2024, up sharply from 300,000 in 2022. The number is expected to rise sharply as interoperability grows.

The future connection of EMS

EMS has been isolated by a wider health IT conversation for many years. But in 2024, that wall began to break. As Qhins expands, Tefca continues to attract people, EMS has a place on the table and plays a role in building a more connected, data-driven healthcare ecosystem.

Equipping field providers with access to patient records is no longer a luxury. This is required. Because when care starts with data, the results start with confidence.

Image source: Chalabala, Getty Images

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