The New Mexico EMS system consists of 350 EMS and Fire services and over 7,000 licensed medical technicians. They respond to approximately 380,000 requests for service [encounters (runs)] each year. EMS services may apply for a state appropriation from the EMS Fund Act, which provides $3.2 million per year to help underwrite the EMS services in the state. Receipt of these funds is dependent on a number of parameters, including the number of EMS runs a service makes each year, level of responders’ training, geographical area covered and population served. To be fully eligible for the EMS Fund Act, services must submit patient care reports to the EMS Bureau’s electronic database, the New Mexico Emergency Medical Services Tracking and Reporting System (NMEMSTARS). New Mexico is requiring EMS services to submit monthly data. There is no mechanism for the manual reporting of paper run reports to the state. If a service is using an electronic data system that is compatible with the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, the service can export an XML file to the state system. A second data submission process involves direct entry into the state of NM web system. NM purchased a statewide license from a software vendor, ImageTrend, which any agency can access on the internet and directly enter the patient care report (PCR) data. After PCRs are entered into NMEMSTARS, they are available for immediate review by the system’s medical director and generation of reports for system management. Additionally, the NM EMS Bureau has a count of prehospital runs, along with pertinent response information and patient demographics. This information is used to advocate for resources, develop policy and direct EMS certification criteria. HIPAA allows covered entities (i.e. hospitals, fire and ambulance services) to supply the necessary data to the public health authority without patient authorization (Section 164.512). NMEMSTARS is fully HIPPA compliant. Updated: February 2011