General Setup: Roles Setup

Roles are assigned to users in User Maintenance. When a user logs in, their assigned role determines what they can see and do in the system. A user can only be assigned one role at a time, so roles should be configured to match the full scope of that user's responsibilities.

The system includes 10 default roles designed to cover common EMS agency positions. These can be used as-is, modified to fit your agency's needs, or supplemented with custom roles.

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Roles Setup

Overview

Roles Setup allows administrators to create and configure user roles that control access to features, screens, and setup areas throughout AIM Dispatch and ePCR. Each role is a collection of permissions organized into three categories: General, Dispatch, and Patient Care.

The system includes 10 default roles designed to cover common EMS agency positions. These can be used as-is, modified to fit your agency's needs, or supplemented with custom roles.

Accessing Roles Setup

Navigate to General Setup > Roles.

Access to this screen requires the Roles Setup permission, located in Roles Setup > General Permissions. This permission is enabled by default for the Administrator, Dispatch Manager, and Patient Care Manager roles.

Screen Layout

Roles List: The main screen displays all configured roles in a grid with each role's name and action buttons to edit or delete. Click the green + button to add a new role.

Role Editor: Clicking the edit icon on a role opens the Role Editor, which contains a Title field and three scrollable permission columns: General, Dispatch, and Patient Care. Each column is divided into a functional permissions section (top) and a setup permissions section (bottom). Enable or disable individual permissions using the checkboxes, then click Save to apply changes.

The General column contains the Dashboard permission and all General Setup screen permissions. The Dispatch and Patient Care columns each contain functional permissions that control what users can do within that module, followed by setup permissions that control access to that module's configuration screens.

Permission Reference

General Permissions

Dashboard — Grants access to the Dashboard home screen, which displays announcements and at-a-glance information.

Setup Permissions:

Agency Setup — Access to Agency Setup for configuring agency-level information and settings.

Announcements Setup — Access to Announcements Setup for configuration and creation of announcements that display in the Comments/Updates section of the Dashboard.

Billable Items Setup — Access to Billable Items Setup for configuring internal billable item codes (base rates, mileages, other charges) used in the billing process.

Contacts Setup — Access to Contacts Setup for managing agency contact records.

Devices Setup — Access to Devices Setup for configuring devices used with the system.

Facilities Setup — Access to Facilities Setup for managing facility records (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) used throughout the system.

Locations Setup — Access to Locations Setup for configuring Vehicle Dispatch Locations, which are used to filter reports, queues, and other areas of the system.

Orphan/Duplicate Account Utility — Access to the data utility for identifying and resolving orphaned or duplicate patient account records.

Other Responders Setup — Access to Other Responders Setup for managing records of other responding agencies or mutual aid organizations.

Personnel Setup — Access to Personnel Setup for configuring personnel records, certifications, and license information.

Roles Setup — Access to this screen for creating, editing, and deleting roles and their permission configurations.

Service Level Mappings Setup — Access to Service Level Mappings Setup for configuring mappings between clinical service levels and billing codes.

Shift Assignment Setup — Access to Shift Assignment Setup for configuring crew-to-unit assignments for specific shifts and dates.

Treatment/Protocols List Setup — Access to Treatment List Setup for enabling/disabling procedures, medications, and protocols and assigning certification level authorizations.

Users Setup — Access to User Maintenance for creating user accounts, assigning roles, and managing login credentials.

Vehicles Setup — Access to Vehicles Setup for configuring vehicle and unit records.

Note: Medications Setup and Procedures Setup may appear in the General permissions list but are not functional permissions and can be disregarded.

Dispatch Permissions

Functional Permissions:

Add — Ability to create new dispatch calls.

Calendar — Access to the scheduling/calendar view for viewing and managing scheduled transports.

Delete — Ability to delete dispatch call records.

Facility User — Restricts the user's dispatch access to only calls involving their assigned facilities. This permission limits functionality rather than granting it.

Hard Copy — Ability to generate and print dispatch hard copy reports for individual calls.

Reporting — Access to the Dispatch Reports module to run and view dispatch-related reports and queues.

Search — Ability to search for dispatch calls in the system.

Unfinish — Ability to reopen a completed dispatch call, returning it as an active call in the Dispatch Call Queue.

Update — Ability to edit and modify existing dispatch call records.

View — Ability to view dispatch call records assigned to or created by the user.

View All — Ability to view all dispatch calls in the system, not just those assigned to the user.

View Charges Tab — Ability to see the Charges tab on dispatch calls, which contains billing-related charge information.

Work Item Unlock — Ability to unlock a dispatch call that is currently locked by another user who has it open.

Work Queue — Access to the Dispatch Call Queue for managing and processing calls.

Setup Permissions:

Callers Setup — Access to manage caller records used when documenting who called in a dispatch request.

Employers Setup — Access to manage employer records used in dispatch.

Field Configurations Setup — Access to Dispatch Field Configuration Setup for controlling field visibility, requirements, and defaults on dispatch screens per profile.

Module Setup — Access to Dispatch Module Setup for module-level configuration options specific to the dispatch workflow.

Narrative Templates Setup — Access to manage dispatch narrative templates for standardized documentation.

Profiles Setup — Access to manage dispatch profiles that vary field layouts and requirements by type.

Quick Picks Setup — Access to manage quick pick values used in dispatch data entry dropdowns.

Standard Operating Procedures Setup — Access to manage SOPs that may be referenced during dispatch workflows.

Supplemental Setup — Access to configure supplemental/custom fields for the dispatch module.

Patient Care Permissions

Functional Permissions:

Add — Ability to create new patient care reports (PCRs).

Add From Queue — Ability to create a new PCR directly from the From Dispatch Call Queue in the Patient Care Portal.

Add Value Not Listed — Ability to use the Add Value Request support form via the action toolbar icon (life preserver).

Batch Export — Access to batch export functionality for exporting multiple PCRs at once for state submission or third-party billing.

Create Return Trip — Ability to create a return trip PCR from an existing PCR, carrying relevant data forward.

Delete — Ability to delete patient care report records.

Facility User — Restricts the user's patient care access to only PCRs involving their assigned facilities. This permission limits functionality rather than granting it.

Force Carry — When enabled, forces the user to carry forward data from a previous trip when creating a new PCR. This permission restricts functionality by removing the option to start fresh.

Hard Copy — Ability to generate and print the Patient Care Hard Copy Report for individual PCRs.

Notify for PCR Completion — Enables notifications to the user when a PCR they are associated with has been completed or requires their attention.

Reassign PCR — Ability to reassign a patient care report to a different user or crew member.

Remove From Queue — Ability to remove a PCR from a work queue.

Reporting — Access to the Patient Care Reports module to run and view ePCR-related reports and queues.

Review — Access to the QA/review workflow for reviewing completed PCRs and approving or returning them for corrections.

Search — Ability to search for patient care reports in the system.

Unfinish — Ability to reopen a completed PCR, returning it to an editable state for corrections.

Update — Ability to edit and modify existing patient care reports.

Update Shift Assignment Call Sign — Ability to update the call sign associated with a shift assignment from within the patient care workflow.

View — Ability to view patient care reports assigned to or created by the user.

View All — Ability to view all PCRs in the system, not just those assigned to the user.

View All From Dispatch Call Queue — Ability to view all patient care reports from the Dispatch Call Queue, bridging visibility between the two modules.

View Charges Tab — Ability to see the Charges tab on PCRs, which contains billing-related charge information.

Work Item Unlock — Ability to unlock a PCR that is currently locked by another user who has it open.

Work Queue — Access to the Patient Care Report Queue for managing incomplete, in review, and returned for corrections PCRs.

Setup Permissions:

Employers Setup — Access to manage employer records used in patient care documentation.

Field Configurations Setup — Access to Patient Care Field Configuration Setup for controlling field visibility, requirements, and defaults on PCR screens per profile.

Incident Flag Setup — Access to configure incident flags that can be applied to PCRs for categorization or prioritization.

Module Setup — Access to Patient Care Module Setup for module-level configuration options specific to the ePCR workflow.

Narrative Templates Setup — Access to manage patient care narrative templates for standardized clinical documentation.

Page Order Setup — Access to configure the order in which pages/tabs appear in the PCR interface.

Profiles Setup — Access to manage patient care profiles that vary field layouts and requirements by type.

Quick Navigation Order Setup — Access to configure the order of items in the quick navigation menu within PCRs.

Quick Picks Setup — Access to manage quick pick values used in patient care data entry dropdowns.

Review Setup — Access to configure the QA/review workflow settings.

Signature Agreement Setup — Access to configure signature agreement text and requirements for each signature section on PCRs.

Standard Operating Procedures Setup — Access to manage SOPs referenced during patient care documentation.

Supplemental Setup — Access to configure supplemental/custom fields for the patient care module.

Default Roles

The system includes 10 default roles pre-configured with permissions appropriate for common EMS agency positions. They can be modified to suit your agency's needs, and additional custom roles can be created.

Default roles follow two parallel hierarchies. On the dispatch side: Dispatcher → Dispatch Supervisor → Dispatch Manager → Administrator. On the patient care side: Crew → Patient Care Supervisor → Patient Care Manager → Administrator. Patient Care Reviewer sits alongside the patient care hierarchy as a specialized QA role, Billing User provides read-only cross-module access, and Facility User provides restricted facility-specific access.

Administrator — Access to everything, except permissions that limit functionality (such as Facility User and Force Carry). Typically given to agency management. If Dispatch is installed, all Dispatch permissions are provided as well.

Billing User — Role given to billers so that they can view patient care report data and run reports. Provides essentially read-only access. Dispatch permissions are provided when Dispatch is installed.

Crew — Basic access for providers to create and complete PCRs. Only setup access is Shift Assignment Setup. Very minimal access overall.

Dispatch Manager — Provides all Dispatch Setup and Dispatch permissions, except setup screens relating to billing (Billable Items Setup and Service Level Mappings Setup). Broad General setup access for managing the agency's configuration.

Dispatch Supervisor — A dispatcher role with more access to setup screens and more permissions than the typical Dispatcher.

Dispatcher — Basic access for dispatchers to create, manage, and complete dispatch calls. Provides some setup access for data entry such as Facilities Setup.

Facility User — A user not directly employed by the agency. A Facility User must have an associated facility stored in their User Maintenance record to access data. If one or more associated facilities exist, a Facility User can only view PCRs and dispatch calls to or from those specific facilities for the purpose of obtaining data on behalf of those facilities. Provides read-only access limited to assigned facilities.

Patient Care Manager — Similar to Dispatch Manager but for the ePCR module. Provides almost all the access to the ePCR module that the Administrator role does, except for billing-related areas (Billable Items Setup and Service Level Mappings Setup).

Patient Care Reviewer — Provides access to complete the QA process in AIM ePCR. Essentially a Crew member with additional setup access and patient care permissions needed for the review workflow.

Patient Care Supervisor — More setup access and permissions than the regular Crew role, but fewer permissions and setup access than the Patient Care Manager or Administrator role.

Default Role Permission Details

Administrator General: Dashboard. All setup permissions enabled. Dispatch Functional: All enabled except Facility User. Dispatch Setup: All enabled. Patient Care Functional: All enabled except Facility User and Force Carry. Patient Care Setup: All enabled.

Billing User General: No permissions enabled. Dispatch Functional: Calendar, Hard Copy, Reporting, Search, View, View All, View Charges Tab, Work Queue. Dispatch Setup: None. Patient Care Functional: Hard Copy, View, View All, View Charges Tab, Work Queue. Patient Care Setup: None.

Crew General: Shift Assignment Setup only. Dispatch: No permissions enabled. Patient Care Functional: Add, Add From Queue, Add Value Not Listed, Create Return Trip, Update, Update Shift Assignment Call Sign, View, View Charges Tab, Work Queue. Patient Care Setup: None.

Dispatch Manager General: Dashboard. All setup permissions enabled except Billable Items Setup, Service Level Mappings Setup, and Treatment/Protocols List Setup. Dispatch Functional: All enabled except Facility User. Dispatch Setup: All enabled. Patient Care Functional: Update Shift Assignment Call Sign only. Patient Care Setup: None.

Dispatch Supervisor General: Dashboard. Devices Setup, Facilities Setup, Locations Setup, Orphan/Duplicate Account Utility, Other Responders Setup, Personnel Setup, Shift Assignment Setup, Vehicles Setup. Dispatch Functional: Add, Calendar, Hard Copy, Reporting, Search, Update, View, View All, View Charges Tab, Work Item Unlock, Work Queue. Dispatch Setup: Callers Setup, Employers Setup, Narrative Templates Setup, Quick Picks Setup, Standard Operating Procedures Setup. Patient Care Functional: Update Shift Assignment Call Sign only. Patient Care Setup: None.

Dispatcher General: Facilities Setup, Locations Setup, Shift Assignment Setup. Dispatch Functional: Add, Calendar, Hard Copy, Reporting, Search, Update, View, View Charges Tab, Work Item Unlock, Work Queue. Dispatch Setup: Callers Setup, Quick Picks Setup, Standard Operating Procedures Setup. Patient Care Functional: Add Value Not Listed, Update Shift Assignment Call Sign. Patient Care Setup: None.

Facility User General: No permissions enabled. Dispatch Functional: Facility User, Hard Copy, View, View All. Dispatch Setup: None. Patient Care Functional: Facility User, View, View All. Patient Care Setup: None.

Patient Care Manager General: Dashboard. All setup permissions enabled except Billable Items Setup, Service Level Mappings Setup, and Treatment/Protocols List Setup. Dispatch: No permissions enabled. Patient Care Functional: Add, Add From Queue, Add Value Not Listed, Batch Export, Create Return Trip, Delete, Remove From Queue, Reporting, Review, Search, Unfinish, Update, Update Shift Assignment Call Sign. Patient Care Setup: All enabled.

Patient Care Reviewer General: Dashboard. Facilities Setup, Locations Setup, Shift Assignment Setup. Dispatch: No permissions enabled. Patient Care Functional: Add, Add From Queue, Add Value Not Listed, Create Return Trip, Hard Copy, Remove From Queue, Reporting, Review, Search, Unfinish, Update, Update Shift Assignment Call Sign, View, View All, View All From Dispatch Call Queue, View Charges Tab, Work Item Unlock, Work Queue. Patient Care Setup: Quick Picks Setup, Review Setup.

Patient Care Supervisor General: Dashboard. Announcements Setup, Contacts Setup, Devices Setup, Facilities Setup, Locations Setup, Shift Assignment Setup, Vehicles Setup. Dispatch: No permissions enabled. Patient Care Functional: Add, Add From Queue, Add Value Not Listed, Batch Export, Create Return Trip, Update, Update Shift Assignment Call Sign, View, View All, View All From Dispatch Call Queue, View Charges Tab, Work Item Unlock, Work Queue. Patient Care Setup: Employers Setup, Incident Flag Setup, Narrative Templates Setup, Quick Navigation Order Setup, Quick Picks Setup.

Best Practices

Review default roles before creating custom ones. The 10 default roles cover most common EMS positions. Modify existing roles to fit your needs before creating new ones from scratch.
Follow the principle of least privilege. Assign users only the permissions they need to perform their job. This protects data integrity and reduces the risk of accidental changes.
Understand permissions that limit functionality. Facility User and Force Carry restrict what users can do rather than granting access. Enabling these on a role like Administrator would be counterproductive.
Coordinate role changes with User Maintenance. Roles are assigned in User Maintenance. When creating or modifying roles, verify that the right users are assigned to the right roles.
Test role changes with a non-admin account. After modifying permissions, log in as a user with that role to verify the expected access before rolling changes out to all users.

Notes

Roles apply across the entire application. A single role controls access to General, Dispatch, and Patient Care areas simultaneously.
Changes to a role affect all users assigned to that role. If multiple users share a role and you need different permissions for one user, create a separate role.
Dispatch permissions are only relevant when the Dispatch module is installed. If your agency uses ePCR only, Dispatch permissions can be disregarded.
Facility User roles require an associated facility in the user's User Maintenance record. Without this association, the user will not be able to access any records.
Some setup permissions appear in both the Dispatch and Patient Care columns (such as Employers Setup, Field Configurations Setup, and others). These control access to separate module-specific setup screens.

Additional Help

For assistance with Roles Setup or any questions about permissions, contact AIM Support at support@aim-system.com or by phone at 1-800-726-4362.