Health care records submitted to the Department from licensed emergency medical services (EMS) providers are made confidential and exempt from public records requests by section 401.30(4), Florida Statutes. The Department has created an electronic means by which the licensee can transfer individual patient care records of emergency calls to the Department called the Emergency Medical Services Tracking and Reporting System (EMSTARS). A list of data elements available can be found at www.floridaemstars.com.
EMSTARS provides submitting EMS agencies with an abundance of reporting tools that can be used for local performance improvement and benchmarking. EMS agencies may log into the EMSTARS to view standardized quality assurance reports and to customize reports that assist clinical and operational decision making. The Department also publishes statewide aggregated reports that can be used to determine state level performance. The Department welcomes provider feedback to enhance or support the creation of new reports that can be used to improve EMS care.
The Department encourages the use of EMS data for the advancement of medical research. Individuals may request EMSTARS data via the EMSTARS Data Use Agreement. Interested parties should submit the data use agreement to EMSTARS@flhealth.gov. Once the completed form is received by the Department, the request will be reviewed and parties will be notified of approval, denial, or request for more information. Researchers with approved agreements will proceed for approval from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) Institutional Review Board (https://www.floridahealth.gov/provider-and-partner-resources/research/irb/infoforresearchers.html).
Approvals for the use of prehospital data are not granted automatically, but are reviewed and approved by the department based upon their potential to reduce morbidity and mortality and advance medical research and medical education. Review and approval by the Florida DOH, Institutional Review Board (IRB) is required for all data that is released. EMS agencies requesting their own data should contact the EMS Section directly.
Please note that data may not be released unless there is a documented need demonstrating the advancement of medical research or medical education in the interest of reducing morbidity or mortality pursuant to Chapter 405, Florida Statutes.
EMS Maps and Reports