One secure record, every participating state.

The NEMSCD allows participating states to rapidly validate primary-source licensure, adverse actions, and significant investigatory information.

Participating states always own and control their data, preserving state sovereignty under the EMS Compact. The Commission has designated the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) as the Database Administrator and collaborated with NREMT on design and implementation. Hosting, maintenance, and security are provided in-kind by NREMT to the United States EMS Compact.

Why a Coordinated Database Was Needed

Before the EMS Compact, each state EMS office operated in relative isolation. There was no national system for tracking EMS licensure across jurisdictions, and no consistent way for states to share disciplinary or investigatory information in real time. A clinician could be suspended in one state and resume practice in another, with no practical way for the receiving state to know.

Criminal history screening was just as inconsistent. Many states relied on a self-disclosure checkbox on an application, asking whether the applicant had been convicted of a felony or serious crime. Without access to primary-source criminal history data and no centralized database, states had no practical way to verify those responses, and contacting every other state for each new application was not feasible.

The database also solved a long-standing measurement problem. For decades, no one could confidently answer a basic question: how many licensed EMTs and paramedics are there in the United States? Estimates were built by adding up state-by-state headcounts, but because many clinicians are licensed in multiple states, sometimes twenty or thirty or more, those individuals were counted repeatedly, inflating workforce estimates. By aggregating primary-source state licensure data and de-duplicating records, the NEMSCD can identify unique individuals and provide a far more accurate picture of the licensed EMS workforce, which supports everything from disaster planning to national workforce strategy.

In short, the database closed the loopholes that allowed clinicians to evade discipline or misrepresent their credentials, and it paired interstate mobility with the accountability and workforce intelligence that mobility requires.

A Primary-Source Equivalent

The NEMSCD licensure and discipline repository is populated directly from each State EMS Office's licensing system. States remain the system of record; data is securely transmitted to NEMSCD on a scheduled basis, typically daily. Once a state has completed integration, the database is considered equivalent to primary-source verification.

The data is not self-reported. Each participating state submits standardized information for every licensed EMS clinician under its jurisdiction, including licensure status and expiration, license level, Privilege to Practice status, adverse actions, significant investigatory information where permitted by state law, and NPDB-reportable actions when applicable. Because the same data is used for state enforcement, it gives every participating state a shared, real-time foundation for licensing, credentialing, and enforcement decisions.

How States Use the Database

The NEMSCD is a regulatory tool, not a public directory. Its detailed records are limited to authorized officials from state EMS offices and the Commission, while a separate public portal supports license verification without exposing investigatory or personal information. In day-to-day practice, the database lets states verify that a clinician's license is active and in good standing, confirm a current Privilege to Practice, and identify disciplinary actions, scope limitations, or active investigations before a clinician begins work.

Two common scenarios show what this enables:

• Surge staffing for large events. Before joining the Compact, a state hosting a large gathering that draws tens of thousands of attendees often required every out-of-state clinician to submit a full licensure application for individual approval, a process that could take weeks. With the Compact, an authorized agency can deploy eligible clinicians from other participating states, and the host state can validate entire rosters instantly against the database rather than processing applications one by one.
• Multistate hiring. An EMS agency expanding across state lines can confirm a clinician's licensure, the states in which they hold licensure, and their Privilege to Practice status using the public lookup tool and the clinician's National EMS ID. If a concern arises, the state EMS office can consult the secure database for disciplinary detail, for example a recently imposed scope limitation in another state that has not yet reached public records, before a hiring decision is finalized.

In both cases the database supports mobility while preserving each state's regulatory authority and duty to protect the public.

State Integration Status

As the Compact transitions to full operational status, participating states are synchronizing their licensure databases with NEMSCD. Most participating states are fully integrated and submitting data, and the remaining states are completing their integration. Each state's current status is shown on its Commissioner page.

Quick Verify

Quick Verify allows EMS clinicians, agencies, and the public to validate a clinician's Privilege to Practice and Home State license status, free of charge.

Database FAQs

How do I change or update the information displayed in NEMSCD? NEMSCD reflects the data in your state's licensing system, and the Commission cannot change records. Contact your State EMS Office to correct source data; updates flow to NEMSCD after the state transmits them.

Will the data in NEMSCD be sold? No.

Can a private company purchase a mailing list of EMS clinicians from the Compact? No. The information in NEMSCD is not sold. The public portal is a secure, free tool to validate an individual clinician's license and Privilege to Practice status.

I am licensed in a participating state, but my information is not found. Why? Some participating states are still completing integration. If your state is integrated but your record is not displayed, common reasons include recent changes still propagating (updates are typically posted in less than 24 hours, though maintenance or technical issues may cause delays) or a missing or unverified National EMS ID, the unique identifier that links your state license and National Registry record. Contact your State EMS Office to resolve.

Integration With Other Systems

The NEMSCD is designed to work alongside federal and state systems rather than replace them.

• National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). Participating states continue to report qualifying disciplinary actions to the NPDB under federal law (45 CFR Part 60), such as license revocation or suspension and voluntary surrender during an investigation. The NPDB supports broad healthcare oversight while the NEMSCD focuses on EMS-specific verification and Compact enforcement; the two serve distinct but complementary roles, and states are encouraged to keep their reporting aligned across both.
• National Registry of EMTs (NREMT). The database maintains a real-time connection with the National Registry, giving state EMS officials live national-certification status, level, and expiration. This supports licensure decisions, renewals, and audits without manual lookups or reliance on self-reported data.
• Authorized expansion. Under the Commission's Administrative Rules, the database may incorporate additional government and third-party datasets to improve data quality and public protection, subject to appropriate data-use agreements. Potential integrations include change-of-address data to keep contact and residency records current, the Social Security Administration's Death Master File to flag deceased clinicians, and licensure data from non-participating states to broaden national workforce visibility.

For State Licensure Software

State EMS licensure systems are required by Compact law and rules to integrate and exchange data with NEMSCD.

The Commission does not endorse or prefer any vendor. Vendors must demonstrate the ability to comply with state-law integration requirements. The EMS Compact does not charge a fee for state licensure integration.

Compliant Software Vendors

The following vendors and systems have demonstrated the ability to comply with NEMSCD integration requirements:

• ImageTrend License Management
• Vector Solutions' Acadis Training and License Management
• DB Sysgraph, Inc., a commercial option used in Louisiana
• Texas Department of State Health Services License Management System
• Virginia Department of Health License Management System

Suggested RFP Language for States

For states procuring a licensure system, the Commission provides suggested Request for Proposal (RFP) language to ensure compliance with Compact law and the Administrative Rules, including integration with NEMSCD. The full template is below.

Suggested RFP specifications: EMS licensure management software

The state seeks a solution compliant with EMS Compact requirements, enabling real-time or near-real-time exchange of licensure, certification, and adverse action data. The solution must integrate with NEMSCD and follow the Coordinated Database Administrative Rules.

1. API integration and data submission. The software must integrate with the following NEMSCD APIs and support OAuth 2.0 for secure access:

• NREMT Certification Data API, for real-time certification verification.
• National EMS ID Identity Server API, to manage identity and display the EMS ID on all public license inquiries.
• EMS Licensure Data API, to submit, update, and retrieve licensure, adverse action, and investigatory data.

Data exchanges must be JSON and meet Compact reporting timelines, including:

• Licensure data in near-real time preferred, no later than 10 business days after changes.
• Adverse actions and investigatory data in near-real time preferred, no later than two business days.

2. Security and confidentiality. Implement end-to-end encryption in transit and at rest. Support designation of confidential information and comply with state expungement requirements.

3. Real-time error handling and audit trails.

• Provide real-time error handling with standardized HTTP status codes and automated retries.
• Maintain detailed audit trails of user actions, data modifications, and submission timestamps.

4. Compliance with EMS Compact rules. Comply with EMS Compact law and rules, including the Uniform Data Set: identifying information, licensure status, adverse actions, and Privilege to Practice. Display the National EMS ID on all public license inquiries.

5. Scalability and performance monitoring. Scale to handle growth without performance degradation, and include monitoring to detect and resolve latency or throughput issues.

For specific API technical details, contact the Compact office.

This page is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.