By Laura French
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) has begun rolling out its EMS-ID system, which will issue 12-digit identification numbers to all EMS professionals and students across the country.
NREMT ceremonially issued the first EMS-ID number to its COO Donnie Woodyard Jr., a nationally registered paramedic since 1997, on Jan. 23.
“Launching the EMS-ID is a significant milestone for the EMS profession, the national EMS system, and the National Registry,” said NREMT Executive Director Bill Seifarth. “As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Registry, part of our heritage was to facilitate a national EMS system in the United States by keeping a Registry of EMS personnel; the EMS-ID is another way of fulfilling our organization’s mission.”
The EMS-ID was developed after the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel Practice requested a database to fit the needs of the interstate EMS Compact. The ID numbers are designed to link EMS licensure records across multiple state licensure systems and the National Registry.
An NREMT press release stated that the randomly generated ID numbers do not contain any encoded personal information and protect providers’ privacy better than using Social Security numbers.
The release said the roll-out of the EMS-ID system will take time as the National Registry coordinates with state systems, and the system is planned to be incorporated into the NREMT website and several state licensure systems by June 2020.
ID numbers for nearly 2 million EMS professionals who created an account with the National Registry prior to Jan. 23, 2020 will be retroactively generated, according to the NREMT.