Justice of the Peace Requirements
For Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Registries (EMSTR) Reporting
Frequently Asked Questions
What are justices of the peace required to report?
Justices of the peace must report all traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries (SCIs), and submersions to the EMS and Trauma Registries (EMSTR) online reporting system. Justices of the peace are not required to report any data to the online reporting system if the medical examiner in their region is responsible for all inquests. In the event a justice of the peace does complete an inquest and any of the above reportable injuries are suspected, please report them to the EMSTR system.
What are the reportable data elements?
The applicable data dictionary lists all the required fields for TBIs, SCIs, and submersions.
- 2025 Justice of the Peace / Medical Examiner Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) / Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Data Dictionary
- 2025 Justice of the Peace / Medical Examiner Submersion Data Dictionary
Note: The EMSTR does not accept paper records.
How does a justice of the peace send data?
Send data electronically for TBIs, SCIs, and submersions. Establish an account with EMSTR and use the online system for submitting data. A justice of the peace may use the free online system for entering data.
Justice of the Peace / Medical Examiner User Guide
How often does a justice of the peace send data?
Submit data within 90 days from the identification of a required reportable event. A justice of the peace should submit data monthly.
If a justice of the peace has just started submitting data, do they have to send records from previous months?
The Texas Administrative Code, Title 25, Part 1, Chapter 103, Rule 103.1-103.8 requires a justice of the peace to submit all reportable case data. The amount and quality of data sent in may affect EMSTR data reports.
May a justice of the peace submit data through a business associate, e.g., local health department, RAC, billing agency, etc.?
Yes, a justice of the peace may submit through a business associate. However, it is the ultimate responsibility of the individual justice of the peace to ensure data is accurate and accepted into the EMSTR. A justice of the peace must have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the third-party vendor on file with EMSTR before EMSTR will accept records from the third-party vendor.
NOTE: EMSTR will not accept BAAs with an effective date over 5 years old as the system needs to verify and track organization and vendor changes.
This is a sample BAA only. Each 3rd party/billing company should have their own BAA forms to provide customers. BAAs must include the effective date and be signed and dated by both parties.
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