How to File a Complaint

Complaint Process

EMS providers and services in the State of Minnesota work to provide the best possible cares to all Minnesotans and visitors. If you believe a party regulated by the EMSRB has violated one of our applicable laws or rules, you may report the conduct to our office. Complaints may be filed with the EMSRB by anyone who may have knowledge of conduct that violates our statutes and rules (see Related Content below for applicable statutes and rules). This includes:

patient
patient's family or representative
employer or supervisor
coworker
interested person
witness to questionable conduct

Some entities, such as licensed services, are required to make reports. You can find more information on the mandatory reporting in the Related Content section on this page. The EMSRB regulates the following entities:

Emergency medical responders (EMR),
Emergency medical technicians (EMT),
Advanced emergency medical technicians (AEMT),
Community emergency medical technicians (CEMT),
Paramedics,
Community paramedics,
EMS education programs,
Ambulance services, and/or
Medical Response Units

What Should Be Reported?

The State of Minnesota has established rules of conduct for regulated individuals. Those who practice emergency medicine at any level are trained to a specific level and may provide services in correlation with their established credential. An EMS person's practice and behavior must be safe, competent, ethical and in compliance with the applicable laws and rules. When you are deciding whether or not to file a complaint to the EMSRB, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the regulated person's practice or behavior unsafe?
Did the regulated person cause harm to the patient or the public?
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior incompetent?
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior unethical?
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior unprofessional?
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior affected by the use of alcohol, drugs, or other chemicals?*
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior affected by a mental or physical condition?*
Is the regulated person's practice or behavior in violation of an EMS related law or rule?

If a regulated individual is unable to practice because of illness, addiction, and/or any mental, physical, or psychological condition, you may refer that person to the Health Professionals Services Program instead of reporting to the Board. More information on their reporting can be found in the Related Content section below.

In regards to filing a complaint regarding an ambulance service, education program, or medical response unit, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the entity practicing in an unsafe manner?
Has the entity violated statute or rules?

Once you've reviewed the appropriate questions and would like to file a complaint, click on File a Complaint, located at the top of the page. This will bring you to our Submission Center. When there, click Submit Complaint to start the complaint submission process.

What Information Should Be Sent to the Board?

The EMSRB requires a written description of the practice or behavior to determine if the regulated party is under the regulatory authority of the EMSRB AND the allegation(s), if later proven to be true, would be a violation that we have authority and jurisdiction to enforce disciplinary action. Provide as much detailed information possible regarding the involved parties and the situation. Include as much of the following as possible:

Subject's name, license type, number, address, and telephone number
Date, time, and address of incident
Name, address, and telephone number of employer
Name of facility if a transport occurred
Description of all facts about the situation you are reporting
Titles of documents or copies of documents you are authorized to provide

What Happens Next?

After submitting your complaint, you will receive an email acknowledging our reception of your complaint. Our Investigations and Compliance team will review your complaint to determine if the EMSRB has both the authority and jurisdiction to act on the matter. You will be notified by email if we do not have either authority or jurisdiction in your complaint. If a matter is outside our authority or jurisdiction, and we believe that another agency may have that authority or jurisdiction, we will forward the complaint to that agency. We may also provide you with a contact better suited for your complaint. This may happen in issues regarding billing, as we do not have the regulatory authority in billing issues.

If we have authority and jurisdiction, our office initiates an investigation. An investigator may contact you to obtain information regarding your complaint. Our staff tries to work around your schedule to obtain information. We may conduct the interview over the phone, in person, or via email when appropriate. Your identity remains confidential throughout the investigation. The only time your identity may be provided is if you either authorize us to reveal it to a specific person or a court requires that it be revealed as a part of a court proceeding. Complainant information is redacted from all reports after an investigation is closed, regardless of the action, unless you specifically authorize us the permission to reveal your identity. This is protected by Chapter 13 of the Minnesota Data Privacy Act. Our office attempts to close investigations within 90-days of reception. That said, there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow us to do so. Our office will contact you if the investigation is not closed within 120-days of your report.

You will receive written notification of the outcome of your complaint as soon as the EMSRB has concluded its review of the investigatory materials. Possible outcomes of complaints include:

Nonpublic dismissal due to there not being enough evidence or the EMSRB determines the action is not needed to protect the public.
Nonpublic dismissal with informal advisements for the subject.
Nonpublic dismissal due to a referral to the Health Professionals Services Program to assess if the subject has an illness that may impact their ability to practice safely.
Public corrective action for subjects who may need additional training or education to best provide emergency medical services to protect the public.
Public disciplinary action due to the subject violating statutes and the EMSRB agrees action is needed to protect the public.

Public disciplinary actions include revocation of a credential, suspension of a credential, refusal to renew applicable credential, the imposition of conditions on the subject's performance of regulated duties, required supervision, and/or censure or reprimand of the person. Fines may be assessed to ambulance services or education programs who have not corrected identified violations within a specified time. The investigation and enforcement process may be lengthy. At times, it may be months or years until you obtain information regarding the closure of your complaint. The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act not only protects your information during the investigation, it also protects data regarding investigatory subjects. We will not share specific information regarding the investigation with you, even though you are the complainant. The only information you are able to receive related to your complaint is any public disciplinary action that occurs as a result.

Immunity

Minnesota Statute section 144E.305, subdivision 3 grants you immunity from civil liability or criminal prosecution so long as you are reporting the violations in good faith.

Anonymous Complaints

The State of Minnesota allows anonymous complaints. If you choose to file a complaint anonymously, you are provided a complaint reference number upon submission. Retain the complaint number, as it can be used to check the status of your complaint. If you do not retain the number, you may miss out on communication the EMSRB sends to clarify your complaint. This may result in the closure of your complaint due to not having enough information to pursue the information you provided. Please know that anonymous complaints are significantly harder to investigate, but we do our best to work with the information you provide. If you are choosing to remain anonymous due to fear that the subject may retaliate, know we do not provide complainant information to the subject unless you provide us written approval to do so or the case reaches a court proceeding that requires us to do so.