Minnesota licensed services have a statutory obligation to report misconduct, terminations, and resignations in lieu of terminations to the EMSRB. In order to streamline the reporting process, services must Submit a complaint in our reporting system so we can assure we have records of all reportable conduct.
Once you submit the report, you will receive notification that your complaint is under review. The Investigations and Compliance section of the EMSRB reviews all mandatory reports submitted by services. In the review, we consider the severity of the conduct, likelihood of conduct reoccurrence, and appropriateness of EMSRB intervention. All services will receive confirmation that their reports have met their statutory compliance when a report is received. If an investigation is opened, the service contact will receive communication with an Investigator to obtain more information regarding the reported conduct.
Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.305, subdivision 2, requires all licensed services to report to the board any conduct by an emergency medical responder, EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, or Community Paramedic that they reasonably believe constitutes grounds for disciplinary action by the Board within 60 days of obtaining "verifiable knowledge" of the conduct or the termination/resignation. Conduct that are grounds for disciplinary action are:
A copy of the termination report is saved in each service's records. Additionally, a copy of the report is linked to the EMS provider's record. The information will be removed from the credentialed person's record after the appropriate retention period has elapsed. This allows the EMSRB to monitor patterned conduct and terminations. Reports are classified as private data by Chapter 13 of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
If you are unaware of your service's compliance with this statute, send an email to compliance.emsrb@state.mn.us. If possible, provide the EMSRB with the last five actions that should have been reported. If they are not reported, we will work together to get your service into compliance. The EMSRB will issue a correction order to your service which will provide provide direction on how to best report the terminations to our office, in accordance to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144E.31, subdivision 1.
The EMSRB may assess a fine concurrently with the issuance of a correction order of $400, dependent on the variables that exist for the noncompliance. Once you are in compliance, the EMSRB expects your service to maintain your reporting obligation, as described in 144E.305, subdivision 2.
An ambulance service or individual is immune from civil liability or criminal prosecution for submitting in good faith a report to the Board. Reports are classified as confidential data on individuals or protected nonpublic data while an investigation is active. Except for the Board's final determination, all communications or information received by or disclosed to the Board relating to disciplinary matters of any person subject to the Board's regulatory jurisdiction are confidential and privileged. Any disciplinary hearing will be closed to the public.
