2023 National EMS Quality Alliance Measure Set

2023 NEW National EMS Quality Alliance Measure Set: Tools for EMS to Operationalize Evidence Based Care

Development of EMS Quality Measures: Overview
Over the past several decades, there has been an effort to develop quality/performance measures for the EMS industry. In 2014, this effort was formalized in the EMS Compass Project funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and led by the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO). This initiative engaged EMS stakeholders in the mission to develop a process for designing, testing, and evaluating performance measures designed to improve patient care and safety. In late 2016, EMS Compass released 14 candidate measures for public testing in 6 content areas; however, the uptake and use by the EMS community were limited.

The drive for high-impact, practical, evidence-based measures continued and NHTSA funded a second effort to support EMS quality measure development, this time through a self-sustaining platform for the continued development of EMS quality measures. NHTSA and the HRSA EMS-C program have engaged the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) to facilitate the development of an organizational structure and sustainability model that enables meaningful assessment of the performance of EMS, called the National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA). Tasked with completing the work of the EMS Compass Project, NHTSA funding supported this effort through 2019. NEMSQA then became an independent, 501(C)6 non-governmental organization that has evolved into the EMS standard bearer for EMS quality measure measures.

NEMSQA's established work will continue to:
Promote a culture of quality improvement through a collaborative, sustainable process;
Enhance the value of EMS systems and develop awareness among interested parties about the measures, how best to use them and how to advocate for improvement.