ICEMA Health Information Network

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play an important role in the healthcare of the community by providing an emergency safety net that extends to the acutely ill and injured who are otherwise unable to reach medical care on their own. Of the almost one million emergency patient visits that occur each year at emergency departments throughout San Bernardino County, approximately 25 percent are assisted through the services provided by EMS. The healthcare services provided to the county residents through EMS are often the difference between life and death or the initial step in recovery from illness or injury. Operating under the authority of state regulations and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), a key responsibility of the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency (ICEMA) is to provide overall system management, evaluation and improvement of the EMS system throughout San Bernardino County. A major component of these responsibilities is the development of processes, guidelines and tools for the collection of data, oversight of the healthcare provided to county residents and sharing of health information between otherwise disparate providers such as hospitals, pharmacies, and primary care physicians. To satisfy these requirements, the ICEMA Health Information Network was created to collect and share information between healthcare agencies and organizations. The purpose of the network was to provide a centralized access and collection point for the accumulation of prehospital and specialty care documentation, ensure data consistency and interoperability between providers and analyze and improve prehospital care provided in San Bernardino County.