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Medical Control Authorities
A Medical Control Authority (MCA) is an organization designated by the department for the purpose of supervising and coordinating an emergency medical services (EMS) system, as prescribed, adopted, and enforced through department-approved protocols for a particular geographic region.
MCA Responsibilities
- The supervision and coordination of the EMS system;
- Adopting an organizational structure of their choice, but must have an advisory body;
- Appointing a medical director who is board certified in emergency medicine or who practices emergency medicine and is current in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS);
- Establishing written protocols for the practice of life support agencies and EMS personnel;
- Circulating draft protocols to all significantly affected persons for review and submitting to the department for approval;
- Ensuring physicians, hospital staff, and providers are educated on protocols;
- Adhering to protocols
MCA Role in the MI-EMSIS
The Office of Legal Affairs within the Michigan Department of Community Health has developed the following document to provide clarification with respect to confidentiality/privacy issues as it pertains to the data collection/retention process:
To assist in addressing the confidentiality/privacy issues that have been raised, the EMS and Trauma Systems Section is requiring that each MCA develop and submit a protocol, for approval, on how data will be used, maintained, and how the data will remain confidential. The Department has developed a state protocol (Patient Care Record, Electronic Documentation, and EMS Information System) to fulfill this need and has added it to the "System Protocols" section of the State Protocols. The MCA must adopt this protocol at a minimum. If you choose to add additional language, a deviation form must be completed along with the protocol, for review and approval.
As the EMS and Trauma Systems Section is very committed to ensuring data confidentiality, access by the Medical Control Authorities to their Life Support Agency data has been removed effective IMMEDIATELY. To have access restored, the Medical Control Authority must complete the following:
*Submit, at a minimum, the state protocol for "Patient Care Record, Electronic Documentation, and EMS Information System" (located under System Protocols);
*Submit a signed Data Use and Non-Disclosure Agreement;
*Submit a signed User Agreement for each individual who is given access to the Michigan EMS Information System (MI-EMSIS)
If your MCA has not yet been set up for MI-EMSIS, or if you have any questions regarding MI-EMSIS, please contact Kevin Putman, EMS State Data Manager.
MCA Directory
- MCA Directory 2.5.24
Draft Protocols
MCA Events
- Meeting Agenda Tuesday, June 6th, 2023 1 pm EST
Forms & Publications
- 2017 MCA Handbook (Revised:7/20/17)
- 2017 NHTSA Reassessment of EMS in Michigan (4/2017)
- MCA Orientation Presentation (Revised:7/20/2017)
- Data Use and Non-Disclosure Agreement (MI-EMSIS) (Revised: 10/2018)
- User Agreement (MI-EMSIS) (Revised: 10/2018)
- MCA Change Request Form (Revised: 9/21/21)
- Request for Addendum to Michigan Protocols Form (DCH-1464) (Revised: 05/11/2018)
- Instructions for Submitting Protocols for Review (Revised: 4/2017)
- BYLAWS Template (Revised: 4/2017)
- Two-Factor Authentication (1/15/2020)