Complaints & Enforcement - EMS & Trauma

Anyone can. You can file a complaint against any of the following certificate holders or licensees:

• EMS providers (company), 
• EMS initial education programs, 
• EMS continuing education programs, 
• EMS personnel:  Emergency Care Attendant (ECA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT), Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic (EMT-P) Licensed Paramedic (LP), EMS Educator (instructor and course coordinator)

How do I file a complaint?

You can file a complaint by completing a form and submitting to the EMS Compliance Unit:
Email: EMS_Complaint@dshs.texas.gov  
Fax: 512-821-4510 
Mail:  
Mail Code-1876,  
Texas Department of State Health Services,  
Attn: EMS Complaints,  
PO Box 149347,  
Austin, TX 78714-9347  
You can get the complaint form online or call us at 512-834-6765 to ask for a copy. 

What Information Do You Need to File a Complaint?

Give any relevant information. Be specific. It is important that we gather as much information as possible, including:  

• Date(s),  
• Time(s), and  
• Location(s) of the alleged incident(s), and the

• Names, 
• Addresses,
• Phone numbers of any witnesses, and the

EMS personnel and providers involved, including:

• Any ambulance unit identification numbers and
• Department certification/license numbers of EMS personnel and/or providers involved. 

You can view certification/license numbers and check on the status of:  

• EMS personnel,  
• Providers,
• First responder organizations, or  
• EMS education programs.  

Select the “Public License Search."  

Can I Remain Anonymous if I File a Complaint? 

Yes. You do not have to provide your name when filing a complaint.  We may not be able to verify there was a violation if you don't give us enough initial information. We may also not be able to follow up with you on the complaint. You will also not be able to follow up nor get information on the status of any possible pending investigation. 

How are Complaints Investigated? 

1. We will first decide if we have jurisdiction to act. 
2. Next, we review the complaint to decide if the violation goes against EMS Act Chapter 773 of the Health Safety Code and/or EMS rules found under Chapter 157 of the Texas Administrative Code.
3. You should receive a complaint acknowledgment letter with a tracking number, contact name, and phone number. This does not apply to anonymous complaints.  

We will open a formal investigation and assign it to an investigator if the violation meets these conditions. In most cases, the investigator will ask the person or entity under investigation for more information.  They usually do this by mail, email, or phone interviews. Sometimes, they do on-site visits. 

All investigative materials and information are confidential and privileged by statute. We can't release any of this, not even to the complainant.

Once we finish the investigation, the Enforcement Review Committee (ERC) reviews the case. They decide if there was a violation and what disciplinary action they will take, if any. You should get complaint closure letter telling you if they substantiated the complaint. This does not apply to an anonymous complaint. 

Will I Be Told the Status of my Complaint? 

You can view all final enforcement actions that we impose on the EMS enforcement action website. 

What Are the Most Common Complaints? 

The most common complaints within DSHS’s jurisdiction are: 

For EMS Providers 

• Patient Care Issues/Protocol violations, 
• Non-certified/Expired personnel, 
• Equipment/Supplies/Medication deficiencies, and 
• Failure to resolve or follow-up complaints from customers. 

For EMS Certificants/Licensees 

• Patient care issues/Protocol violations, 
• Practicing with an expired certification/license, 
• Drug diversion, 
• Criminal conduct, 
• Documentation/Patient care report issues, and 
• Unprofessional conduct which might endanger the public. 

Examples of complaints that DO NOT fall under its jurisdiction are: 

Billing issues (rates/collection procedures): You should send these complaints to the Texas Attorney General’s Office Consumer Complaints Division.

Rudeness: You should send this issue to the EMS certified/licensed personnel’s employer.

Public Health Information Violations/HIPAA:  You can report these issues to US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR).

Complaints against licensed professionals or facilities other than EMS personnel, EMS providers, or other EMS entities: Send these complaints to the appropriate state licensing agency or other regulatory programs. 

How Long Does It Take to Investigate a Complaint? 

The amount of time varies for each investigation. How long it takes depends on a lot of factors, including:

• The complexity of a case,
• Circumstances that may be out of the investigator's control, or  
• The EMS personnel, provider, or other EMS entities under investigation. 

What Types of Disciplinary Actions Could Be Imposed? 

We can:

• Close: Dismissed due to insufficient evidence of a violation.
• Close: Substantiated/no disciplinary action warranted. We accept licensee’s plan of correction or internal remediation.
• Reprimand
• Give an administrative penalty or fine (EMS provider only).
• Suspend or give a probated suspension, or 
• Revoke a certification or license.